Joker's Sacrifice
by silkdreamweaver
Summary: After missing for three years Joker's son has return. No one but Joker knows that he exists. After suffering through a severe trauma, his mind is on the brink of insanity. He clings to Alice in an effort to maintain stability. All the while, the Forever Knight is on the hunt, determined to end an existence that never should have been. What can overcome madness?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Got the idea for this while writing looking glass. Short first chapter but sure you will like. Based off a song.**

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**Chapter one: Unrequited forgiveness **

"I'm so sorry," he cries. A young child sits in the middle of a forgotten forest clearing. In his lap he cradles the head of his twin sister, leaning his back on a hedge made of thorns.

"I'm sorry," he repeats. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me," he cries. His body is racked with uncontrollable sobs. He stares in the blank eyes of his sister as they stare into oblivion. Her mouth hangs slightly agape as her attempts to breathe stopped long ago. The bruises around her neck have turned purple from when he had choked her. Her pleas had fallen on deaf ears at the time. As he cries, the child watches as her face is stained with his red tears. Unable to look at her longer he turns to face the lifeless hand that hangs out of the thorn hedge. Covered in blood, it lies above a dropped sword. Its once silver metal, stained red and rusted orange. At the bottom of the hilt is the symbol of the red spade.

"What do I do mother?" he asks the lifeless appendage, as an unending river of red tears continues to flow with no end in sight.

"I didn't want to do it. I didn't mean to do it. I-I couldn't control myself," he chokes out. He stares at the lifeless hand of his mother he asks, "Will dad forgive me? Will he still want me?" Turns his attention back to the tear stained face of his sister. "What do I do? Should I go back?"

As he stares into her face, he a new wave sorrow wash over him. He holds her head close to his chest as he breaks down again, trying to mutter apologies while he chokes on his own words. In the distance, through his loud sobbing he can hear the sounds of the soldiers looking for him. They call out into the forest, trying to stay in contact with each other as they search for him. After taking a moment to calm himself, he rests his twins head on the ground before standing up. He takes another look at her open eyes before deciding to close them. As he reaches down, his fingers are an inch away before he freezes.

He collapses on his knees, bring his hands to his face as he begins to cry again. He looks at his hand as he pulls it away from his face seeing it covered in tears of blood. The image of his mother's bloody hand that hangs next him flashes through his mind. Unable to handle it any longer he stands again. "I-I'm…I'm so sorry," he mutters before taking off into the forest. He can hear the shouts of the soldiers as stumble upon the clearing. He can hear their shouts of exclamation as they discover his sister's corpse. He blocks out the sounds of their voices as he continues to run. He has only one destination in mind. Joker Forest in the Country of Hearts. He thinks of the one person there that could help and possibly forgive him.

"Dad."

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**AN:Pretty sure most off you know what song this is based off now. If not i will tell you next chapter. Remember to review. I like to know what you think about my story, do you love it hate it, are there mistakes I missed, do you not understand something? I would like to here you input so please leave me a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Chapter 2, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HNKNA.**

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**Chapter 2: Approaching Dawn**

**Two weeks later:**

It was another busy day at circus as the staff prepared for the upcoming circus event. After a long wait it was now their turn to entertain the role holders. As many of the performers practiced their routines, White, the ring leader of the circus, observed them. He watched jugglers juggle, jester children practice with throwing knives, acrobatics swing from the trapezes and so on. He watched with an encouraging smile on his face, but deep down he dreaded the upcoming event. When he first learned of the date when he was going to have to hold his territories special event, he didn't pay it much attention to it, but when his family came into his life, he looked forward to each one.

It was like having an early celebration for them before their birthdays which ironically wasn't far off. White always wanted give them his best shows to make them happy, but now he sees no point in doing them. Without them around to witness any of it, he has lost all of his drive in hosting them to the point were he even stopped performing in them himself. If it wasn't for the rules of the game, he would have stopped everything altogether. White had lost all joy he had in his role and his circus. After pondering through his depressing thoughts for a few more seconds, he let out a long sigh. He called over some of the jester children that were practicing close by.

"I'm going to see Black in the prison. I want everyone to continue to practice their acts, because everything must be ready by tomorrow. I'll be back in a few minutes," he told them. As they ran off to inform every one else, White turned around and began walking.

The surrounding circus melted away to reveal Wonderland Prison. As White walked down the hallways deeper into the prison, he couldn't help but glance at the broken toys that were strewn about the prison floor. It has been a few years since they last played here, but he can still hear their voices in his head. The memory made White flinch before he started walking again, pushing it to the back of his mind. He strolled by the prison cells, completely ignoring the prisoners staring at him. After passing through a few more cell blocks, White finally came to the main hall of the prison. Surprisingly his counterpart was leaning on the wall opposite from him, apparently lost in his thoughts.

"Slacking from your duties, Black?" teased White.

"F*** off. I'm not in the mood and neither are you." replied Black. White just sighed as he took up a spot on the wall next to him as Black stared at him from across the room.

"It's their birthday in three days, you know," White said, more to himself than Black.

"Yeah. They would be ten this year. Do you still think the brats are alive?" Black asked. "I still wonder if we will ever see them again."

"I don't know. Hopefully they still are. You know how they love to explore and get themselves lost," replied White with false cheerfulness.

"If they ever show up, I'm going to give them one hell of an earful before I'm done with them. Then I'll keep them locked up in their room for a whole year. That'll teach them from running off some where without telling us." Black just gazed blankly at the ceiling above as he tried to imagine what his children must possibly look like by now.

"I'm sure you would," White chuckled. "Maybe they're on their way home right now."

"Yeah, and maybe they found our wife and set her free," chuckled Black. For the moment the only sound that can be heard is the low laughter of the Jokers before they settle into a familiar silence. After remaining a few minutes in silence, lost in their own thoughts about the past, White finally decided to return back to the Circus to finish his preparations for tomorrow. As White stepped back into the circus, he couldn't shake the feeling that something new was going to happen.

"Nothing has happened in the last three years, so why would this year be any different?" he asked aloud to himself. White sighed, shaking his head as he tried to think of things that still need to be done before tomorrow. He continued the circus' preparations unaware that the answers he and Black have waited three long years for, had just arrived in Wonderland.

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**AN: So we have just learned a little about the tragic past of Joker.** **By the way the song is Alice Human sacrifice if you haven't guessed it from last chapter**

**White: please review if you want faster updates.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Chapter 3. For anyone wondering, I have not stopped Shattered Looking glass the next chapter for that is very long.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HNKNA.**

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**Chapter 3: Blue flames under the big top.**

_A small child trapped in a dark forest, is trying to run from his fears. No matter how far he runs the forest never seems to end. He is surrounded by shadows as they reach out in attempts to grab him. "What are you running from?" he hears. The voice he recognizes as one that should no longer exist. He freezes in place, as the shadows around him recede to show him standing in an all too familiar clearing. He hears foots steps approaching him from behind but he doesn't move. His body is held in place by fear. "Why did you do it?" it asks. He doesn't reply, fear holds his tongue. "Did you hate me? Did you not want find mom? Maybe you hate dad as well. So I'll ask you again, why did you do it?" The voice grows harsher with each word spoken. Without any control of his body the child turns around slowly to be brought face to face with the undead corpse of his sister._

"_**WHY DID YOU KILL ME, CUINN?"**_

Cuinn startles awake, from his nightmare gasping for breathe. It takes a few seconds for him to calm down and catch his breathe. After collecting himself, he sits up takes a look around the meadow filled with tall flowers surrounding him, checking if he is still alone.

"I'm sorry Amari," he whispers. He lets out a tried sigh as he stares up at the sky. He gives himself a moment to think.

'_If I'm correct, then I should be just within the borders of the Country of Hearts. I should be around the outskirts of Heart territory, so the circus must be across from here. And if I'm also right about the date, the circus event should be tonight. If I hurry, I can make it.'_

Getting up off the ground Cuinn immediately breaks into a run, pushing all thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing only on getting to the circus undetected.

**Two time periods later:**

It had just turned into night over the circus territory with dozens of faceless arriving for special event soon followed by the role holders. As Cuinn hid in bushes of the surrounding forest, he tried to think of a way to sneak in. As he surveyed the circus grounds he saw a group of jester children run out from one of the circus carts outside, forgetting to close and lock the door. Cuinn smiled at his luck. Taking one quick look around to ensure no one was looking, he dashed across the grounds into the cart. Inside, he took a look at all of the costumes scattered around; he came up with a brilliant idea.

It had already turned into night by the time Alice and the other role holders had arrived at the circus grounds. Crowds of faceless were already entering the main tent in front of them grabbing seats on the inside. As Alice and the role holders approached the entrance, White stepped out to greet them. He wore his trademarked grin that all the role holders hated.

"Well it's good to see everyone again. And it's great to see you here too, Alice."

"Hello again White. Ready to start the show?"

"Of course. You better hurry and grab your seats, the show is about to start." With that the circus master disappeared back inside his tent. As Alice and the role holders took their seats inside, Peter mumbled something about how he didn't trust those Jokers and how he didn't like them knowing Alice. Alice took a seat between Boris and Blood, ignoring Peter who was trying to offer the seat next to him which ended up being taken by the Knight of Hearts. Alice waited patiently for the show to begin while some of the role holders began chatting amongst themselves.

"What special act do you think they are going to put on this time, Alice?" asked Boris.

"Looks like we are about to find out" replied Alice as she pointed to a smiling White as he stepped onto the raised platform center staged.

Cuinn sat atop the tightrope platform watching the spectacle from above. He was wearing a mismatched joker costume with a small mask to cover his eyes. He smiled as he watched his dad take center stage before starting the show. One thing he noticed though was that he was participating in any act like he used too.

_'He must have stopped after we left'_ he thought sadly. _'Well, I hope this cheers him up. It wasn't easy convincing the acrobat that he was switched out, but I did it. Dad is going to be in for one big surprise.'_

It was now done to the last act. Alice was surprised to learn that it was going to be the tightrope. She thought White would have done something more extravagant to end the show. When the lights went out and the spot light came on, she was surprise to see that one of the jester children was going to do the act. As the spotlight stopped on him she noticed that he was dressed differently from the other children. His was a mismatch of different colors. The most surprising aspect was that he was drinking from a cup of tea acting as if nothing important was going on. After taking a few more sips he finally started walking across, only to stop after a few steps. As Alice and the rest of the audience watched puzzled as to what he was going to do, he threw his tea at the platform across from him. The tea caused the platform to combust into flames. The audience gasped. The jester did not seem to care that he started a fire, for he waited patiently as it began to crawl towards him.

"What is he waiting for?" asked Boris aloud. While everyone was focus on the jester, Blood was looking at what seemed to be White yelling at one of his workers at the other side of the tent.

He could barely make out the words he was yelling, but it seemed that White wanted to know who that person was and why he was in his show. Blood was now very interested in this new development.

_'Now that's odd. Seems White didn't plan this part of the show. This just got very interesting,' _he thought as he returned his attention to the act above. As the fire was about to reach him, it stopped. Everyone watched as it started to burn upwards as if there was a wall in front of him creating a perfectly rectangular wall of flames a little taller than him. The jester child reached forward and pulled off a layer of flame as if it were a door. He then walked into it but never came out the other side. The door slammed shut and vanished, but the child was no longer on the rope. Gasps of surprise could be heard throughout the crowd.

"He disappeared!" cried Dee and Dum.

The audience watched as the spotlight searched frantically for him around the tent. While everyone waited in stunned silence, they began to hear knocking echoing around the tent. The spotlight move to a spot on the ground, where everyone realized was where the noise was coming from. A door appeared out of thin air on the floor where the light was resting. Everyone watched in silence as they waited for the jester to step out of the strange door that was facing upwards. Instead of climbing out as everyone expected he would, he stuck one foot out as if he was going to walk on air and his whole body was pulled forward so he was now standing up right. The door behind him slammed shut and disappeared in a burst of flames. The jester stood there staring at the crowd before snapping his fingers, conjuring a small orange flame on his right hand. He held it there for a moment while everyone wondered what he planned to do with it. He clasped his hands together making everyone believe that he had extinguished, but when he pulled his hands apart they became engulfed in blue flames. He had a surprised look on his face as his arms were engulf by the fire. Some people began screaming and shouting as they watched his whole body be swallowed by blue fire; believing that he was burning to death in front of them. The flame that had surrounded his body, that was no longer visible, lifted off the ground and condensed into a blue sphere. The audience watched in stunned silence waiting to see what was going to happen. The jesters face appeared smiling for sec in the sphere before it exploded outward. To everyone's surprise it didn't explode into flames, but into a large flock of blue doves. As the spotlight followed them, the birds flew over everyone's head up to the top of the tent. When they reached the top they went still and began floating down. As they drifted closer, the crowd noticed that they were no long doves but blue roses in full bloom. As soon as the lights came back on the crowd went into a wild round of applause. Alice though, was distracted by the raining flowers. One managed to drift close enough for her to catch it. She cradled it in her palm as she lightly stroked the pedals.

'I didn't know blue roses existed,' she thought. Unknown to her, that she was being watched by a curious pair of gold eyes across the tent.

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**AN: AN interesting show, don't you think and we learned that Cuinn has some speical talents. What are they? Find out next chapter. **

**Please review even Anonymous are fine. More reviews mean faster updates. Till next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: CHAPTER 4! **

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**Chapter 4: Reunion.**

Alice was still seating in her seat playing with the blue rose in her hand when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned to she Boris standing above her.

"Alice, shouldn't we be going?" he asked.

"Sorry," apologized Alice, "but before we go can I speak to White?"

Boris gave Alice a strange look, "Why do you want to talk to them?"

"I want to ask White how he managed that amazing performance. Don't worry. I only want to ask him that one question; then I'm leaving. I don't plan on staying longer than necessary," she replied. As soon the words left her mouth, she heard a light chuckle coming from her right. She turned to see Blood rising from his seat.

"I wouldn't count on getting much from him," said Blood.

"And why is that?" she asked.

"If you were paying any attention then you would notice that White had not planned this performance and is looking for that child we saw right now." Blood gestured to where White stood giving out orders to his workers that were running in and out of the tent.

"How do you know that he isn't just having them clean up? This is quite a mess, all these roses and the confetti on the floor." As Alice moved to stand up, she felt someone else's hand on her shoulder stopping her. She turned to see that it was Gray in the row behind her.

"Alice, are you sure it's a good idea to spend extra time with them. I understand when you need to play his card game but other than that I don't like the idea of you spending any extra time around them, considering how dangerous and unpredictable they are."

"I agree with Grey on this one Alice," Elliot spoke up, "Those Jokers are bad news."

"It's just one question guys. I don't like hanging around them either but I just want to know how he set up that act and where he got these roses from," replied Alice as she held up the blue rose in her hand. Peter, overhearing Alice's conversation immediately felt himself worry about her and bounded over the rows of seats until he was standing next to her in her row.

"Alice my love, if you are still certain to meet with the Jokers, allow me to escort you for protection. I can not stand the thought of something happening to you because of those men and I don't trust anyone else to keep you safe." Peter clasped Alice's hand in his as he stared at her with pleading eyes. Alice let out a tired sigh, knowing that arguing any further would be pointless.

"Fine, anyone else going to join me?" she asked as she glanced around at the others. She received nods from everyone else. As Alice and the role holders walked across the open ground to where White was, they saw Black walk out of his prison to stand in front of White. As they drew near to them, they were able to overhear their conversation while both were oblivious to them.

"So why is this, my f**king problem when it doesn't f***ing involve me?" asked an irritated Black.

"Because I need help with this," replied an equally irritated White, "I have no clue as to who he is or where he came from. He not only interrupted my show, but also apparently broke into one of the carts outside and tore up a couple outfits to make that mismatched one he was wearing. None of the other workers have seen him enter or leave."

"I am still having trouble seeing as to why this is my f***ing problem." Before Black could say anything more, he noticed the approaching role holders. He made a small gesture to White causing him to turn around; the frown on his face was instantly replaced by his smile.

"Alice it's so good to see you. I do hope that you and the others enjoyed my show."

"Hello White. Yes, I did enjoy the show. I was going to ask you about that final act, but I take it from your conversation you don't know anything about it." Alice let out a sigh at being proven wrong by Blood. She didn't have to look at him to know that he was smirking at her. White also let out a tired sigh.

"Yes it's true. I didn't plan that act and I have no clue about the person who had done it."

"That's a shame. I wanted to know-"

"Hey, whore. Where did you get that rose?" interrupted Black as he approached her. The role holders glared at Black for insulting Alice, while Peter's hand was inching toward his clock, ready to shoot him. White on the other hand gave Black a puzzled look.

"Um, Black, what happened to your hat and whip?" asked White. Black felt the top of his head and checked his hip noticing that they were in fact gone.

"What the F***! I just had the damn things on me. How the F*** do they disappear!" shouted an upset Black. Before he could rant any further, his hat appeared out of thin air above him and landed squarely on his head.

"What the f***?" asked a confused Black. Before he or anyone else could say anything, they heard what sounded like giggling coming from behind the group of role holders. They all turned around to see the mysterious jester child. He was still wearing his mixed outfit of stripes and checkers in blue, green, red, black, gold and orange. He had a small white mask that covered where his eyes should be and a hat that matched the style of White's. Behind him, he held Black's whip in his hands. Before any one could utter a single word, he dash through the role holders and jumped tackled White to the ground with a hug. Everyone looked at the scene with shock. In all their years as role holders, they have never seen anyone display any form of affection to Jokers and now, here was some random child hugging White on the floor. While Alice and the role holders were trying to get over their shock, Black's eye widen, as he believed he knew who this was.

"It can't be," he whispered. Apparently, the child heard him, because he climbed off a confused White before wrapping his arms around him in a hug. Even though it had been many years since he felt that familiar warmth and the small arms around him, he knew who this was. His son had come home. Black then did something that completely shocked Alice and all the role holders. He returned the hug and smiled. Black was genuinely smiling. Not smirking, not grinning evilly but smiling in pure happiness. Alice had to pinch herself to insure that she wasn't dreaming. From the couple of squeaks behind her, she could tell that some of the others did the same. White recovering from his surprise and shock quickly stood up at looked at his son who as still clinging to Black.

"I can't believe your back," he whispered. "I can't be your back!" he shouted as he pulled Cuinn away from Black into his own hug. Alice just retrieving enough of her sense to speak again was the first to speak.

"Um, White? Sorry to interrupt, but who is he?" she asked still bewildered by everything that was going on. White put Cuinn down before turning to face Alice.

"He is a jester child that went missing years ago," replied White, "That also reminds me, what happened to your sister?" he asked Cuinn. The smile on his face was immediately replaced by a grave expression as he turned his head away so he was looking at the ground.

"White, Black," he said in a voice that was barely louder than a whisper, "I need to talk to both of you, alone." Judging by the strain in his voice, White knew that it must be important. He picked up Cuinn as he and Black walked into the prison realm.

Over his shoulder as he left, he called out to Alice, "I'm sorry but we are going to have to continue our talk some other time." They left, leaving behind a dumbfounded Alice and group of role holders. Nightmare was the first to speak.

"Was I hallucinating or was Black actually smiling?"

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**AN: The role holders just had the biggest shock of their lives. What is Cuinn going to tell Black and White? How will they react? More next chapter.**

**Remember to review, favorite and follow. Reveiws are the most important part so please leave one, even if it is a couple words. I need feedback.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: sorry for long delay but here is chapter 5. Enjoy.**

**Oh and thank you to all who have reveiwed so far. Means alot.**

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**Chapter 5: Red stained apologies.**

Stepping through into the prison dimension, White carried Cuinn as they passed by rows of prison cells. The prisoners whispered to each other, curious over who the child in White's arms is. Unbeknownst to them Black was making a mental list, to remind himself, which cell blocks he was going to have to purge. He didn't want any witnesses to Cuinn's presence in Joker prison right now. As they passed a few more cellblocks, they came to the living quarters of the prison. Black and White stopped at the two doors across from their rooms. On the right door was a picture of a red spade and on the left was a picture of twin, smiling comedy masks.

Black reached into his pocket and pulled out a special key. Unlike the prison keys he carries on his key ring, this key was solid gold and the head had a spade cut out in it. As he placed the key inside the lock, he paused feeling as though it was yesterday when he lock the doors to these rooms. It was hard to believe that was three years ago. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Black unlocked the door before stepping through, followed closely by White.

The room was twice the size of any of the guest rooms and was divided into two colored sides. The walls were vertically stripped. The wall opposite of the door was stripped orange and yellow while the wall behind them was stripped blue and green. The floor was half orange and green with the ceiling being half yellow and blue. The room was divided in half by the two colored sides. In each corner of the ceiling was a hanging flowerpot that contained a small blue rose bush. Though the bushes themselves remained green and healthy after the so many years, the roses themselves had withered away long ago leaving them flowerless.

In the center was a low oval shape table with a white porcelain tea set on top. The table and tea set were designed to look as if there were green rose vines wrapped around them. On the floor, scattered about, were piles of stuff animals, books and few old toys. Against the wall on right was a large queen size bed. The bed itself was also split into the two colors of the room. White walked in and set Cuinn down on the side of the bed before taking a seat next to him. Black also took seat next to Cuinn. White was the first to speak.

"So what is it that you to talk to us about?" asked White.

"Make it quick cause I plan on grounding your ass and making you suffer for running away," said Black, though it was obvious that he joking. White waved a hand at him telling him to be quiet.

"But before that can happen, I have to ask, where is your sister?"

Cuinn tensed up at White's words. This was the question he was afraid of answering. He was afraid that if he told them the truth they would hate him and lock him up. Cuinn knew that lying would only make it worse. Cuinn took a few deep breaths before he began talking.

"We went looking for mom. We wanted to find her and bring her back." Both Jokers' felt their insides grow cold at the mention of their lost wife. They can still remember the day when they were given the news telling them how she went insane, going on a murderess rampage and having to be locked away when she was caught. They were only told that she was somewhere in the Country of Spades. White was about to ask him what happened, but Black beat him to it.

"What happened? Did you find her? Is she okay?" asked Black in a rushed tone.

Cuinn kept his head down unable to meet either of their gazes. When he spoke, it was low and mournful, "We found her, but…there was nothing we could do. They…trapped her in a hedge of thorns. We weren't fast enough, because when we found her she…she was…was…" Cuinn broke into tears unable to complete his sentence, but both Jokers were able to understand what he was trying to say. Their wife, the only person they had ever loved, was dead. Black stumbled away from the bed into wall, sliding down to the floor in shock and disbelief.

"She can't be," he muttered, "she can't be."

White remained frozen in place on the bed. He was at lost for words so he sat there staring at Cuinn as he sobbed into is hands. Then he notice how red liquid was seeping through Cuinn's fingers to drip on the floor. It took him a moment to realize that Cuinn was not crying normal tears of water, but tears of his own blood. It took some effort, but White overcame his shock, if only by a little, and regained his ability to speak.

"Cuinn what happened to you?" asked White in a nervous tone. Cuinn pulled his hands away from his face. They were shaking badly and stained red with blood. He kept his head facing downward so White could not see his face.

"I didn't mean to… I-I just…I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…I didn't want to do it…I-I…" White put a comforting hand on Cuinn's back.

"Cuinn, what happened to Amari?" White had a feeling he knew the answer, but he hoped that he was wrong. Cuinn's body went rigid knowing that now was the moment of truth for him. The would either forgive him or get rid of him. Cuinn reached a hand up to remove his small eye mask, but his hands were shaking so badly that he dropped it on the floor.

"I-I…Amari is…she is…" Cuinn paused as he took in deep breaths trying to force the words out of his mouth as he stared at his blood stained hands. Taking in one last breath, he turned and faced White for the first time in three years.

"Amari is with mom now because of me."

White couldn't tell what destroyed him more, the fact the Cuinn just admitted to killing his own sister or the appearance of his left eye. Cuinn has golden colored eyes but the white of his left eye had turned back. Now a black abyss surrounded the gold color of his eye. To anyone who did not understand the meaning behind it, they would think he just had some strange color distortion in his, but in reality, it was much worse. Cuinn was infected with madness. White can still remember the day she his wife's eyes turn black. She slowing started to lose herself before she disappeared and went on a killing spree in Spade country, where she had to be locked up for the protection of herself and everyone else. Now his own son could end up going the same way.

"It's all my fault," said Cuinn interrupting White's thoughts, "It's my fault that they're gone. It's my fault." Cuinn buried his head in his hands as began to cry again. He was surprise though when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and pull him into an embrace.

"It's not your fault you dumb brat. It's ours." It was Black. Cuinn felt another pair of arms wrap around him as well these belonged to White.

"It's our fault. You were punished for crimes we committed. If anyone is to blame it is us," said White in low voice. Neither of them could tell how long they sat there holding on to Cuinn, but when he finally calmed down, they let go of him. Black removed Cuinn's jester hat and picked up his mask off the floor, setting both on the bedside table while White laid Cuinn down on the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin.

"Get some sleep, you look exhausted," said White, patting his head before getting up to leave. It only took seconds for Cuinn to drift off into sleep. Black and White quietly left the room closing the door behind them. As soon the door closed, Black punched the wall in front of him. White could hear the sound of the stone bricks and the bones in Black's hand break. Black ignoring the pain in his hand shouted aloud.

"How the F*** could this happen!"

White just sighed at his counterpart's antics. "We'll figure that out later, right now we have work to do."

Black turned and looked at his counterpart in disbelief. "How can you think-"

"Did you forget that a lot of people saw him. We need some sort of alibi for him other wise people will learn who he is and that will bring the Spade court on our heads. Or have you forgotten the last time we were "dealt" with by them."

Black raised a hand to his black eye patch. "I have never forgotten."

White nodded before turning and walking out of the prison dimension. Black turned and walked the other way, toward the cellblocks. As he was walking by, one of the prisoners noticing the faint tear stains on his cheek, decided to mock him about it.

"Hell, I didn't know the warden was a cry-" He never got to finish that sentence as Black lashed out with his whip, wrapping it around his neck. He pulled back on the rope hard, breaking the prisoner's neck with the force of his strength. The prisoner's body swung forward, his head smashing against the cell bars with a sickening crack.

"OK, listen up all you F***ing pieces of shit. I am not in the mood to deal with any shit from any of you. I have a F***ing long execution list I have to complete and if I hear you so much as you F***ing breath, I am going to kill you on the spot." Black continued on his way knowing that he would not be receiving any more trouble from them. In the long history of the prison, not one prisoner could ever recall seeing Black as mad as he was now. It was a scary sight indeed.

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**AN: I hope you enjoyed. Things are starting to get more interesting now. Remember to Review, please I like to here what my readers think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I like to thanks everyone who has reviewed so far:**

**xxxPureRosexxx, I am a stegosaurus asdf movie, Okami no Shirayuki, ReflectiveFragments, EarthRiddle, TheNextAlice.**

**Your Reviews mean a lot. Sorry it took awhile, been having trouble with Looking Glass, (When I update it, you'll see what I mean). Thank you for your patience. Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 6: Dreamtime Visitors**

Cuinn was sitting in front of a small wooden coffee table, floating in a black abyss. On the table was a tea set identical to the one in his room. Across from him were four empty plush chairs. The two chairs on the left where black and white. Each had a Jester mask of the opposite color imprinted on the heads of the chair. The chair on the right was a deep blood red color. On this chair was a white square with a red spade in the center. In the center, in between the three, was a smaller white chair that was identical to Cuinn's. Lying on the back was half of a gold heart. Cuinn picked up the teacup in front of him taking a small sip. As he set it back down, he let out a tired sigh.

"I hate being alone," he mumbled.

Cuinn leaned back into his chair as he stared longingly at the empty seats across from him. The deathly silence surrounding him was broken by a faint tapping sound.

"Sounds like somebody's knocking," said Cuinn surprised. As he rose from his seat, a hard wood floor appeared under his feet. "There is only one person in Wonderland that could enter other's dreams."

Cuinn turned around to face a pair of intricately designed, oak doors. As he reached for the doorknob, he checked his face for his mask. Satisfied that he was wearing it, Cuinn opened the door, stepping out of his dream and into Nightmare's realm.

The first thing Cuinn notice about Nightmare's realm was how dull it looked.

'_What a barren wasteland,' _he thought.

"My realms not a wasteland."

Cuinn turned to see Nightmare floating behind him.

"Ah, so I am dreaming," said Cuinn, feigning surprise. "You must be the role holder Nightmare that I've heard about."

"Oh. And who told you about me?" asked Nightmare.

"Joker. He used to tell us to be careful around you."

Nightmare gave Cuinn a puzzled look before he narrowed his eye. Cuinn sensing what Nightmare was going to do, immediately began to block his thoughts. He began picturing hundreds of doors, slamming shut and locking. Each thought louder than the one before. Cuinn was screaming these thoughts in his mind knowing they would interrupt with Nightmare's mind reading ability.

They held each other's gaze, waiting to see who would give up first. It was Nightmare who gave in first with an audible sigh.

"I am surprise that you can block your thoughts from me," said Nightmare with a little amusement in his voice. "Who taught you how to shield your thoughts?"

"Joker did of course," replied Cuinn smugly. "He taught everyone in the old troop how to do it, but I don't think it matters any more since the old troop is gone."

"Old troop?" asked Nightmare confused.

"Your confusion is understandable. The current circus group that works for Joker is not his or at least not his original group." Cuinn explained.

Nightmare sat back in the air, greatly intrigue by this new information, he never knew about. He was a bit surprise too; he was supposed to know almost everything about the role holders so that he could assist foreigners when they came to Wonderland. This piece of information sounds like something he should have known about.

"What do you mean that they are not his original group, I have never heard of White having any group of special employees," said Nightmare.

"That's because he never planned on losing them, though what happen to them exactly, I don't know yet. I just got back to the circus so I haven't had much time to speak to them, especially after last night's act."

"That act of yours was spectacular," commented Nightmare. "Alice was curious about how you managed it and I must admit; I'm a bit curious myself."

Cuinn tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Alice? I have never heard of that role before."

Nightmare snickered before replying, "Alice is not a role, she's a foreigner."

"A foreigner!" Cuinn exclaimed in surprise. "I have never met one before. Was she the pretty young lady, who was talking to White?"

"Yes, that was Alice. Now back to my pervious question, how did you pull of that stunt of yours?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets," Cuinn said smiling. "Now I have a question for you. Why are you, a role holder, interested in me, a faceless?"

"Normally I wouldn't be, but after last night's events, I've been intrigued, especially after what I saw with Jokers." Nightmare replied. "I don't think I have ever seen Black smile."

"I'm not surprised that you haven't. Even in the old troop, there were few who saw him smile."

"You keep mentioning your old troop. What was so special about them?" asked Nightmare curiously.

"The old troop was White's first group of employees and was supposed to be his only group. One of the things that made us special was that we all chose to work in circus, not because our previous replacement did so. Everyone loved their job, and they loved White. We were like a giant family, not like now, where there is a noticeable distance between him and his workers. They enjoy the job because they have too and they are afraid of White though they hide it well. Did you know that White used to perform in his shows?"

Nightmare looked at Cuinn in surprise. He thought back to all the events at the circus he attended, but could not recall ever seeing White perform in his own show.

"No, I don't think I have ever seen White perform."

"You might have, long ago. White dressed the part for whatever act he chose to do, but then again, you probably only visit the circus when it's hosting its territory event."

Nightmare nodded his head.

"He doesn't perform in events for role holders any more. He used to, way before I was born. I know White well enough, that he told me it's because of some trouble he got into which is why there are two Jokers, not one."

Nightmare heard about that incident. He was told Joker broke a rule involving a previous foreigner and was dealt with by the court of spades. His punishment was that his mind and body would be broken into two, thus forming White and Black.

"What about Black?" asked Nightmare. "How did you get along with him?"

"We didn't fear Black if that's what your asking," replied Cuinn to Nightmare's surprise. "He was still mean, but we understood how to deal with him. Now though, it seems that he has gotten a bit meaner."

"Really? I wonder what the difference was back then," pondered Nightmare aloud.

"There would have been no difference. The Jokers hate the role holders," said Cuinn, interrupting Nightmare's thoughts.

"That's obvious. I think the only person they don't hate is Alice, but they also don't like her. I think they consider Alice more as a toy to play with," replied Nightmare, not hiding the disgust in his voice.

"How often does she visit the Circus?" asked Cuinn.

"Too often if you ask me," Nightmare replied. "She only visits to change the seasons with White." Nightmare notice the hopeful face Cuinn was wearing. "A little eager to meet Wonderland's foreigner, I see."

Nightmare chuckled as he watched Cuinn blush from embarrassment. Before Cuinn could reply, the realm around them began to fall apart.

"Looks like it's time for you to wake-up," Nightmare said as he began to fade from view.

'_Dang it,' _Cuinn thought, _'I didn't get to finish tea time._

When Cuinn awoke, it was just as White was opening the door to his room, walking in with a tray filled with food. White smiled the moment he saw Cuinn was awake.

"I was wondering when you we going to awake," White said smiling. He put the tray down on the bedside table next to his mask before taking a seat on the bed next to Cuinn.

"Morning dad," said Cuinn.

"More like good afternoon. You've been asleep for a day and a half," replied White with a little worry. "You must have been exhausted. We were worried that you wouldn't wake up."

"Considering the energy I spent traveling here, and then followed by the performance, I'm surprised I didn't collapse sooner," chuckled Cuinn.

"Are you at least feeling better?" asked White.

"I am," replied Cuinn, "Oh, I met Nightmare by the way."

"Considering what he and the other role holders saw, I'm not surprise that he would visit you in your dreams." White sat, shaking head before a realization came over him. He faced Cuinn with a worried look on his face. "Did he read your mind?"

Cuinn chuckled before answering, "He tried to, but thanks to what you taught me and the others, all those years ago, he wasn't able too."

White let out a sigh of relief. "I knew that trick would come in handy. Any problems with him?"

"None," replied Cuinn.

"Good," said White. "I got to go and help my other half reorganize the prisoners, after his cleaning spree yesterday." White rose from the bed before turning and ruffling Cuinn's hair. "Eat and get some more sleep. You still look a bit tried. I'll be back to check on you again, later."

"Sure thing," replied Cuinn. "But before you go, can I ask you one question?"

"About what?" asked White curiously.

"Can you tell me about that foreigner Alice?"

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**AN: Next Chapter Cuinn teaches you how to play a new game and meets someone else.**

**Cuinn: Is it Alice? (Stares hopefully)**

**SDW: It's a secret.**

**Cuinn: Ahh. **

**SDW: Please review and thank you for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I give you chapter 7.**

**Cuinn:Yay. I finally meet the Alice. I hope you enjoy. **

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**Chapter 7: Introducing an unexpected tag-along.**

"It's so bright today," complained Alice as she shielded her eyes with her hand. The evening sun shown brightly in the sky as Alice walked through Wonderland's woods. Soon the many distinguishing signs and doors appeared, scattered among the trees, signaling entrance into Joker forest. Alice was glad she knew the way to the circus. The many signs, pointing in random directions were confusing and provided no help at all. It made her glad that she could ignore them. After a few minutes, the circus tent came into view.

'_It's been a week since the circus event. I wonder who that jester child was. He must be very special to the Jokers for them to act the way they did. I never thought in all the time I have known Black, that I would ever see him smile. That though, scares me more than when he is in a bad mood.' _A shiver ran down Alice's spine. _'I wonder if I will see that child again at the circus?'_

Alice's thoughts were interrupted as she felt herself bump into something. She looked to see that what she had run into was White and that he was now standing in front of the entrance into the circus tent.

"My,my. It looks like someone isn't paying attention to where they are going. That's a good way to get yourself lost Alice."

"Sorry, I got lost in thought and wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Alice felt her cheeks go a little red from embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it my dear. I take it you're here for another card game, hm?" White asked while wearing his signature smile.

"Yes I-"

"Is this the foreigner Alice that I've heard so much about?" someone asked from behind Alice, cutting her off.

Alice turned to see the Jester child from the circus event last week, standing behind her. He was wearing the same outfit from before along with the small white mask that covers, where his eyes would be. He smiled as he put out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Cuinn."

"Hello," replied Alice as she shook his hand. His grip was very gentle and his hand felt as soft and smooth as a baby's. Alice opened her mouth to say something, but White cut her off.

"Cuinn, what are you doing here?" White asked with a little bit of annoyance in his voice.

"You promised that I could meet the foreigner the next time she visit's the circus."

"Oh, I almost forgot about that. Silly me," White said, chuckling nervously, while rubbing the back of his head. _'What's he doing here? I thought I told Black to keep and eye on him. I don't like where this is going.'_

"Why would you be so interested in meeting me?" Alice asked Cuinn, interrupting White's thoughts.

Cuinn chuckled. "That should be obvious, you're a foreigner. Who wouldn't want to meet you?"

"Can't argue with you there," Alice said, chuckling lightly.

"I overheard that you're going to play one of White's games. Can I join you?" Cuinn asked in a pleading voice with his hands clasped in front of him. White shot Cuinn a disapproving look, but said nothing. Alice unaware of White's facial response, smiled and nodded her head.

"As long as it's okay with White, sure."

'_Hopefully, having a third player would make it harder for White to cheat,' _Alice thought.

Both turned to White who smiled and shrugged. "I see no harm in allowing a third player." He waved them through the tent entrance. "I had a feeling that Alice would show up today so I had a table set up for us."

Set up in the center ring was a small, circular table, surprisingly surrounded by _three_ chairs.

'_I didn't set up three chairs,' _White thought confused.

As the three of them sat down, White pulled a stack of cards from out of his sleeves.

"What shall we play; Blackjack, poker, or-"

"How about a game of sacrifice?" Cuinn asked, interrupting White.

White looked at Cuinn surprised. "You want to play that game?"

"I do. Why? You don't want to play it?"

"No, it's just that I thought you wouldn't want to play that because-ah, never mind."

Alice looked at the two curiously before asking, "What's Sacrifice?"

"It's a game we made. It's really easy to play, but first I have to ask you a question. Do you know how to play war?"

Alice nodded.

"Great! It makes things much easier. Sacrifice is similar to war, but with our own twist."

"Really?" Alice asked.

"Yep, now let me explain. The goal of the game is to be the last one standing. You draw six cards. First you discard two cards and then you can place two. Discarded cards are out of the game. The two you place will be compared to the two the others place. Highest sum wins and collects all cards on the table. Face cards beat number cards so one face card can beat two number cards. Face cards beat each other in the standard order. Highest face card wins in the pair so it doesn't matter what two face cards you have. they lose if there is one higher face card such as a King beating a Queen and Jack or a Queen beating two Jacks."

"What if there is a tie?" Alice asked. She felt very interested in this game. It doesn't sound like any she has ever played before.

"Ties end up in tied players discarding their cards. All ties end in discarding, even if the tie is beaten by a third player. The third player who beats the tie only ends up walking away with his own cards."

"That seems cruel," Alice commented.

"Well sacrifice is a brutal game after all. Now I have one last thing to tell you. The Aces. The Aces are the triumph cards in the game. They can beat all other cards. They work in a ladder like the face cards. Diamond is the lowest, followed by Clover. Both can be beaten by a pair of kings unless both are played together. Second is the Heart which can only be beaten by Clover and Diamond together. The top ace, which is also the top card in the game, the Ace of Spades. The Spade can only be beaten by both the Clover and Hearts. I think that's all you have to know."

"Thanks, but I have to ask, why is the Spades the top card? I thought the ace of hearts would be top."

Both White and Cuinn smiled at Alice. It was White who answered this time though.

"The Spade cuts down any who stand in its path, that's why it's number one." Though White and Cuinn were smiling, both winced internally. " I take it you assumed that heart would be number one because this is the Country of Hearts, right?"

Alice turned a little red from embarrassment, but still nodded.

"Well, since Cuinn has explained all the rules, lets play."

**~~X~~**

Alice doesn't know how it came to such a situation, but now she was down to her last two cards along with White and Cuinn.

"Now this is interesting," commented Cuinn as he observed the situation. "How about we make this a punishment game?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea," White said cheerfully. "And the punishment won't be known till after the game is done."

Alice looked at the two in horror. "You can't be serious. You're not really going to give a punishment to the loser are you?"

"Oh, course," White replied cheerfully. "Are you not confident in your chances of winning?" White teased.

Alice just chuckled, while she looked down at her last two cards. She had a Queen and the Ace of diamonds.

'_Here goes nothing,' _Alice thought playing her cards.

"Impressive Alice, but unfortunately I'm pretty sure that I'll win this game." White placed down his two cards. They were a King and the Ace of Clover.

"You stand in her way White," Cuinn said absent mindedly, while keeping his head low.

White and Alice looked at Cuinn confused and surprised.

"What are you talking about?" White asked.

"If you stand in her way, she cuts you down," Cuinn lifted his head, smiling, and showed his last two cards. They were the Ace of Hearts and the Ace of Spades.

Both looked at Cuinn amazed.

"So you had them the whole time!" White exclaimed horrified.

Alice on the other hand was overjoyed. "I take it that I don't have to do a punishment now."

"You're not getting off the hook that easy," White said while smiling evilly. Alice looked at him in horror.

"Yes, but unfortunately for you both I get to make the punishment," Cuinn said. Now it was Cuinn's turn to smile evilly, while White looked horrified.

'_If White's scared of what he might have in mind it can't be good.' _Alice thought. She shivered in her seat. _'The last time I played with some of the Jester children, they tied me to a target and used me for target practice for their throwing knifes.' _Alice shivered again from the memory. She sat and waited to hear what her punishment would be. She didn't wait long.

"Alice, your punishment will be that you have to let me tag along with you as you travel around Wonderland two days and White, you will have to let me join her." Cuinn clasped his hands in front of him while watching how Alice and White would respond. Alice looked relieved that it wasn't anything bad, while White stare at him in horror.

White let out a sigh, signaling he was giving in. "Fine, but first can I speak to you in private, Cuinn?"

"Ok. Wait here Alice, I'll be back."

White led Cuinn outside where there was no one around.

"What are you thinking," demanded White.

"I want to spend some time with the foreigner that everyone is so attached to. Besides you promised that I could, so would you please let this go."

White sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry. It's just that I don't want anything to happen to you. We're not well liked here and I'm afraid how the others will treat you cause you are in"

Cuinn hugged White. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"I know you will, but I still want you to take these with you."

Cuinn let go of White as he pulled a deck of cards and a dagger out from his pockets. The cards had red backs and had a symbol of a spade imprinted on each. Cuinn recognized the cards instantly.

"That's the razor deck we made for you!" Cuinn exclaimed.

"I know. I want you to take it though. I would feel much better knowing you had, though I know you probably won't use either."

"Thanks dad."

"Go wait at the entrance while I talk to Alice really quick."

"Sure thing." Cuinn ran off disappearing around the tent.

"I'm not going to hear the end of it from Black when he finds out," White muttered to himself.

Cuinn was waiting in front of the tent's entrance when Alice and White showed up.

"Are you ready to go Alice?" Cuinn asked.

Alice nodded. "I'm ready."

"Great! Let's get going. The day won't last forever." Cuinn began walking off into the forest. Alice made a move to follow, but was stopped by White's hand on her shoulder.

"Remember what I said Alice. Anything happens to him and it will come out of you," White whispered before releasing her. Alice hurried off, desperate to get away from White and catch up to Cuinn. When she caught up to him, Cuinn was humming to himself, swaying his head side to side. Alice looked at Cuinn in puzzlement.

"Cuinn, _why_ are you so interested in meeting me?"

Cuinn titled his head to the side, his jester hat titling the opposite way. "Didn't I tell you already. You're a foreigner."

"I know, but there has to be more to it. You're the only faceless who has ever taken an interest in me."

Cuinn stopped walking and turned to face Alice, so she was staring into his white, mask.

"You're different from everyone else. You're sweet, kind and on top of it all-" Cuinn hugged Alice surprising her. "You don't smell of blood."

Alice looked at Cuinn confused. "I don't smell of blood?"

"You are the only other person in Wonderland who truly values life."

Alice look at Cuinn in surprise. "I didn't think anyone in Wonderland thought that way."

"Well, I'm not anyone. That's why I'm hoping that we can get along."

Alice smiled and patted the top of his hat. "I'm sure we will get along just find."

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**AN: Next chapter Alice is mean to the Twins.**

**Dee & Dum: What? Why?**

**Cuinn: You'll see. *smiles evilly***

**SDW: Just in case if some of you don't understand, the "we" references Cuinn makes refer to him and his sister. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember to leave a review.**

**Cuinn: See you again next chapter. And review or I might cry.**

**SDW: Don't make Cuinn cry, review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Two quick notes. There is also an important message at the bottom.**

**1****st****: I just completed a picture of Cuinn and uploaded it to deviant . Here's the link.**

** art/Cuinn-323182051**

**2****nd****: I am considering writing a couple short stories about Cuinn and his life before he and his sister left the circus. They will only take place in the circus and prison territory, so will not include the other role holders, but will include the faceless from the old circus troop and their mom, the Alice of the Spade along with the Jokers. What do you think? **

**Cuinn if you may.**

**Cuinn: Please enjoy the chapter. I know I did, mostly.**

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**Chapter 8: Innocent fun at the Hatter's.**

Alice and Cuinn were at the end of the Joker's forest when Cuinn spoke up.

"So Alice, what territory are we going to visit first?"

"I was going to let you decide," Alice replied.

"That won't do any good," Cuinn said giggling. "I've never been to any of territories outside of the circus."

Alice stopped dead in her tracks, looking at Cuinn surprised.

"You have never been outside of circus before?" Alice asked in disbelief.

"Yep," Cuinn replied, cheerfully. "Well, I have been through the forest on the outskirts of Hearts Castle, but that it."

Alice still couldn't believe it. "You must have left the circus at some point. I mean what about the events where all other territories must attend. You must have left for at least that, maybe to even go to town for some supplies or something."

"Nope, not even once."

"So you lived in the circus, your whole time?"

"Mostly. I actually stay in the prison."

This was even more shocking to Alice. _'Who would want to stay in the prison with Black? He must be out of his mind.' _

"What's the matter?" "Cuinn asked, noticing the look on Alice's face.

"Cuinn are you sure it's a good idea to stay in the prison with Black?"

"Of course," Cuinn replied smiling. "I'm old enough too."

"And how old are you?" Alice asked with a hand on her hip.

"I just turned 10 yesterday," Cuinn said happily.

Alice cocked her head to the side. "You're a bit short for a ten year old." _'He could pass as seven or eight,'_ Alice thought.

"I am not!" Cuinn cried. He crossed his arms and pouted. "I'm not that short," he mumbled.

Alice couldn't help, but giggle. It looked cute, the way he pouted. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make fun of you. Here, to make it up to you, how about I take you to the Hatter's territory. It's close by."

"That sounds great!" Cuinn exclaimed smiling once again.

As they walked through the forest, Alice couldn't help, but wonder about Cuinn.

'_He's so sweet and innocent,' _Alice thought. _'Why is he living in the prison? I wonder if I can ask White, but considering how angry he got when I tried asking about him at the circus, it may not be such a good idea.'_

Alice was distracted from her thoughts when she felt something warm and soft slip into her hand. When she glanced down, she saw that it was Cuinn's hand. He didn't even seem to be aware that he was holding her hand. She thought about freeing her hand and saying something to him, but decided against it.

'_What harm can it cause?' _Alice thought.

~~~~~X~~~~~

Alice was panicking. She was completely freaked out of her mind. She was panicking for one reason, she lost Cuinn.

'_How could I lose him?' _Alice thought, panicky. _'He lets go of my hand for one second to stretch his arms and the next, he's gone. If White finds out, he is going to kill me. This is not good!'_ Alice took off running in a random direction, hoping it would lead her to Cuinn.

Cuinn was lost. Of that, much he was certain. In truth, it didn't bother him, but he was more worried about Alice.

'_She must be panicking right now,'_ Cuinn thought as he walked past the line of trees in front of him, only to find himself standing on a dirt path. On his left was a large mansion with a tall outer gate, standing a short distance away. _'This must be the Hatter's mansion, Alice told me about.'_

Cuinn looked down the path to the left thinking he might see Alice, when he heard voices behind him.

"Look what we found, brother."

"He looks likes he from the circus."

Cuinn turned around to see a pair of twins standing behind him. One wore a blue uniform and the other, red. Both twins appeared to be only a few years older than Cuinn and were carrying what looked like spears with a large ax head attached on top. Cuinn smiled at them.

"Hello, I'm Cuinn. Who are you two?"

The twins smiled innocently. "We're the gatekeepers and we're going to have to kill you."

The smile left Cuinn's face as he cocked his head to the side. "Why do you want to kill me?" he asked.

"We can't let in any intruders or our pay will be docked," replied the red one.

"We also can't let spies wander around here too and with that mask, you look like a spy," said the blue one.

"This," said Cuinn while pointing to his white, eye mask. "This is just a mask I wear, because I don't have any eyes."

"Doesn't matter, we have to kill you. Don't worry; it won't hurt much, right brother."

"Right!"

Both twins ready their axes, preparing to charge. Cuinn shook a finger at then while smiling mischievously.

"But if you kill me, you will miss out on something so amazing it will leave you slack-jawed." Both twins looked at Cuinn suspiciously while he continued to smile at them. "If you kill me you will regret it for the rest of your lives."

"How do we know that you're not lying?" asked the Red twin.

"Do you notice how close I am to the line of trees?" Cuinn asked while motioning to the line of trees only two feet away. "If I wanted to run, I could of, but instead I'm still standing here talking to you, so I must have something amazing to show you two."

The blue twin whisper to the red one, "He has a point brother. Should we trust him?"

"I think we can," the red twin replied.

"So I can show you?" Cuinn asked.

The twins nodded.

"Great, now give me a quick moment to prepare," Cuinn said happily.

He took off his Jester cap and threw on the ground next to him. Next, he pulled out his dagger, that he had kept hidden in a pocket at his waist, and used it to cut his left sleeve. Cuinn only cut deep enough to break the skin so it would bleed. He ignored the slight pain and put away his dagger.

The twins looked at him curiously, but remained silent.

Cuinn reached down, picked up a handful of dirt, and began rubbing on his clothes.

"What is he is he doing?"

"I don't know, brother."

Cuinn ignored the twins. He sat on the ground, rubbing a little more dirt on himself, even placed a small smug on his cheek. Cuinn looked as if he had gotten into some sort of fight. He then raised his head back and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Alice!"

Both twins jumped back startled. To their surprise, Cuinn started crying. Both open their mouths, but before they could speak, they heard someone shout back in reply.

"Cuinn!"

Alice came bursting out of the tree line, looking frantically around herself. She first noticed Cuinn on the ground crying, looking as if he had been in a fight. Next, she noticed how the twins were standing over him. Knowing from previous experience, she guessed what probably happened to Cuinn.

"Dee, Dum, what did you do!"

Both twins looked at her surprised. Before they could say anything, Alice rushed over to Cuinn and hugged him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, in a gentle voice.

Cuinn clutched the front of her dress. "I was scared Alice. They said they were going to kill me. They even cut me."

"But Alice we di-" Both twins stopped speaking when Alice leveled a fierce glare at them as Cuinn flinched from their voices and clutched onto Alice tighter, trembling while doing so.

"Don't let them hurt me any more, please Alice?" Cuinn said in a low voice full of fear.

"They won't hurt you any more. I promise." Alice said, while stroking the back of his head, trying to calm him down.

Both of the twins' jaws dropped. _'But we didn't do anything,' _they thought simultaneously.

Alice plucked Cuinn's Jester cap off the ground next to her, dusting it off before putting it back on his head. She then scooped Cuinn up in her arms as she stood. She leveled a predatory glare at the twins who were frozen in place from fear and shock.

"Dee, Dum, I want the both of you to apologize to Cuinn. Now," she demanded in a fierce tone.

"But-"

"Now!"

Both let out twin sighs of defeat, while hanging their heads low.

"We're sorry," they both mumbled.

"Like you mean it," Alice growled causing both to tremble.

Both raised their heads and looked at Alice and Cuinn with fake sadness in their eyes. "We're sorry we hurt you, Cuinn."

Cuinn nodded his head in acknowledgment, while Alice shook her head sighing.

'_Good enough,' _she thought. "Let's get you fixed up," Alice said to Cuinn as she walked by the twins, purposely ignoring them.

Cuinn looked back, over Alice's shoulder at the twins wearing a triumphant grin that went unnoticed by Alice.

The jaws of both twins dropped as they watched Alice carry Cuinn into the mansion.

"Brother, did we just-"

"-get set up? I think we just were."

Both looked at each other before taking off into the mansion.

**~~~X~~~ **

"Alice! What a surprise to see you here!"

Alice turned around to see Elliot walking towards her. She smiled as he approached.

"Hi, Elliot. It's good to see you a gain."

Elliot smiled back, but his smile vanished when he noticed Cuinn in Alice's arms.

"Who's this?"

"Oh! This is Cuinn. Cuinn, this is my friend Elliot March."

"Hello!" Cuinn greeted cheerfully.

Elliot smiled at him, but again it disappeared when he noticed how disheveled Cuinn looked.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"Your gatekeepers," Alice answered.

Elliot nodded, remembering the first time, Alice had come to their mansion and was almost killed. He blushed a little from embarrassment at the memory. His eyes widen in remembrance.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I'm on my way to see Blood; you should join me. I'm sure he would be glad to see you again."

"Uh, sure, but first I need to get Cuinn fixed up. Do guys have someplace I can do that?" Alice asked politely.

A passing faceless, servant, who overheard their conversation, called for Alice's attention.

"We do have an Infirmary. I can show you there if you wish, miss."

Alice was about to reply when she felt Cuinn tap her chin.

"Alice can you put me down, I have an idea," Cuinn said. Alice set him on his feet, while looking at him curiously.

"Why don't you go with Elliot to see Blood and I'll go with the maid to the infirmary and meet with you after I'm all fixed up."

"Are sure you don't want me to go with you?" Alice asked, afraid that something might happen to him again if he leaves her sight.

"I'll be fine, besides it seems that you haven't seen your friends here in awhile and it's not right to ignore your friends." Cuinn began walking away toward the servant while waving a hand above his head. "I'll be fine, so don't worry. I'll meet with you as soon as I'm done, I promise. Anyway, ignoring a nice guy like Elliot is pretty mean; you should spend more time with him."

As Alice and Elliot watch Cuinn leave with the faceless, Alice was blushing from embarrassment from what Cuinn said about her ignoring the Hatter's, while Elliot had a thoughtful look on his face.

"I have a feeling I've seen him some where, but I can't place my Finger on it," Elliot said absentmindedly, breaking the silence around them.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, Cuinn is the Jester child from the circus," Alice said.

"Wait, he's the one from the circus!" Elliot exclaimed surprised. Elliot rubbed the back of his head in surprise. As he thought about it, his eyes widen in horror as he realized something. "Alice you just said he's a jester kid, right."

Alice nodded in response.

Elliot's expression became one of worry. "And you're hanging out with him. Are you nuts!" he exclaimed. "Didn't you say that the last time you played with those jester kids, they almost killed you?"

Alice raise her hands in defense, chuckling nervously as she remembered the time a pair of jester children tied her to a giant target and use her for target practice for their throwing knifes.

"Calm down Elliot, Cuinn is different from the other jester children."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Cuinn told me that he hates violence and fighting. He even believes in the same principle that I do, that everyone here should value their life, even if they can be replaced."

Elliot looked at her in disbelief and confusion. "He sounds just like you," he commented.

"It's actually the reason that he wanted to see me. He said that I was similar to him in the way we think."

"Amazing. Blood would probably want to hear this." Elliot smiled at Alice. "Shall we go see him?"

"Sure. I think I've kept to away from your work long enough," Alice replied returning Elliot's smile with one of her own.

**~~~X~~~**

Cuinn stepped out of the infirmary, looking like how he was before the incident with the twins.

'_Now if I'm correct, the maid said Blood's office was down this hallway,' _Cuinn thought. While Cuinn was walking down the hall, admiring the decor, he suddenly felt a pair of hands grab his arm and yank him through a doorway into a room.

As soon as the hands released him, Cuinn spun around to face, who grabbed him. He felt himself grow pale when he found himself facing the twin gatekeepers. Both were glaring at him.

'_Great. No doubt that they are upset over how I set them up outside,' _Cuinn thought. His proven right when the twins grabbed his arms and dragged him to over to a couch in the middle of the room. They shoved him down roughly while glaring at him. No one said anything for a moment. Cuinn used the time to quickly, glance around the room. He felt himself grow pale when notice how almost every square inch was covered in dozens of weapons.

'_Great! I'm trapped in a room full of weapons with two angry gatekeepers. Alice said that these two were Dee and Dum, but who is who?' _Cuinn sighed shaking his head.

"Alice is waiting for me and I don't want to make her worry by making her wait longer than what is necessary," Cuinn said to the twins carelessly. This only seemed to anger them more.

"It's your fault that Onee-san is upset with us," said the red twin.

"Onee-san is mad with us now, cause of you," said the blue twin.

Cuinn shook his head. "I doesn't matter what I did. She was going to scold the both of you either way."

Both looked at him surprised. "Why would she?" they asked simultaneously.

"Simple. Even though you didn't actually hurt me, though Alice thinks otherwise, you were still threatening to kill me. That is reason enough for Alice to scold you. Don't you already know that she hates it when people try to kill her friends," Cuinn said, feigning nonchalance.

Both twins looked at Cuinn shocked. "Your friends with onee-san! Since when!" they cried.

"You have to ask Alice about that," Cuinn said.

"But we can't cause-,"

"-onee-san hates us now!" Both looked like they were about to cry.

Cuinn looked at the two confused until a realization began to dawn on him.

"Has Alice ever scolded you before," Cuinn asked, though he could already guess the answer. Both looked at him confused.

"Has she what?" asked the blue twin.

"Unbelievable," stated Cuinn. "So you two really think that Alice hates you?"

"She has to," replied the red twin. We've never seen her so made at us. She was nothing like the Onee-san we know and love."

Cuinn shook his head, before patting the both of them on the head. "You two are idiots," he said teasingly. The twins looked at him confused. "She doesn't hate you guys. She is just upset over the fact that you threaten to kill me."

"Really?" they both asked.

"Of course! Alice loves you two. She won't hate you over something like this, but she is still a little mad."

Both sighed in relief.

"Before we get any farther, there's something that has been bugging me. I know your names are Dee and Dum, but who is who?" Cuinn asked.

The red twin pointed to himself, "I'm Dum."

"And I'm Dee," said the blue one.

"That will make things much easier. Hey! How about to make it up to you for framing you, I show you a couple of my magic tricks? You will be quite amazed."

Dee and Dum looked at him surprised before nodding their heads with smiles on their faces.

The twins and Cuinn were sitting at opposite sides of wooden table in the center of the room. Dum was sitting, while staring at Cuinn who was holding a grenade in his hand, far from his body, while Dee was lying on his stomach, looking under the table.

"You two ready?" Cuinn asked as he placed his other hand on the table.

"Yep," replied Dee and Dum, simultaneously.

"Now watch the grenade, disappear." Cuinn released the grenade, but it never hit the ground.

Unknown to the both of them was that in the small blind spot made by the table's edge, Cuinn created a small portal door, big enough for the grenade to fall through. To the twins, it will look like the grenade has vanished, but Cuinn knew that in actuality, the grenade was moved to an empty cell in Joker prison.

'_Good thing dad hasn't restocked all the prisoners yet,'_ Cuinn thought.

Dee glanced all along the floor, looking for the grenade, but could not find it anywhere. "It's gone," he exclaimed.

"Really?" Dum went to the other side of the table to see for himself and saw that his brother was right. "Where did it go?"

Instead of replying, Cuinn cocked his head to the side while staring at Dum. "Dee, I think there is something with your brother," Cuinn stated. There was a loud bang as Dee hit his head on the underside of the table. He mumbled something under his breathe as he poked his head over the table.

"What do you mean, there's something wrong with him?" Dee asked while rubbing his head.

"There is something wrong with your brother. I can see it in his eyes. Come over here and look."

Dee went around the table so he was now standing by Cuinn. He looked into his brother's eyes, but couldn't see anything out of place.

"He looks fine," Dee commented.

"Look closer." Dee leaned in to look, but still did not notice anything. Cuinn suddenly pointed at Dum's eye, making him jump backward. "There!" Cuinn exclaimed. "Right there. Did you see it?"

"I think I saw something," Dee replied, unsure if he really did. Dum began feeling very uneasy. Before Dum could say something, Cuinn put his hands on his shoulders and pulled him done in a sitting position.

"Here Dee, I want you to sit in front of your brother and stare into his eyes and tell me if you see any changes in his eyes," Cuinn said.

"Um, ok," replied Dee as he sat in front of his brother.

"Now Dum, whatever you do, don't turn around. Ok?" Cuinn said while rolling up his right sleeve.

"Why?" he asked. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to look inside your head."

"What!"

"Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen, I promise."

Cuinn held his hand behind Dum's head. In front of his hand a small door appeared. It opened and Cuinn reached inside. He noticed right away the difference in temperature. The twin's room, where he is standing, is warm, but the room his hand was now in was cold.

'_I sometimes forget how cold the prison is,'_ Cuinn thought. He felt the cobble titles of the cell where he dropped the grenade. He groped around feeling for the grenade. He reached in deeper through the door trying to find it.

To Dee, though, it looked like he was fitting his entire arm into Dum's head. His eyes widen in disbelief, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Dum and worried him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No. Nothing," Dee replied smiling. Though it was obvious to Dum he was lying, he decided to go with it.

After a few more seconds of groping the cold cobble floor of Joker prison, Cuinn felt something round and bumpy in his hand.

'_Found it.'_

Cuinn pulled the grenade through his little door, which disappeared as soon as his hand was free, holding it behind Dum's back so Dee could not see it.

"I found what was wrong with Dum," Cuinn stated happily.

"Really?" asked Dee, surprised.

"Yep! This was in his head." Cuinn tossed the grenade over Dum's head into Dee's lap. Dee looked at it in disbelief, before Dum reached over and grabbed it. He turned and looked at Cuinn with the same expression as his brother.

"H-How?"

Cuinn put a finger too his lips. "Magicians don't reveal their secrets," he said in a whisper.

"That's no fair," Dee said, while grabbing back the grenade. "Your amazing." Dee threw his arms in the air to emphasize his point.

The grenade slipped from his fingers and landed on the floor. It was not the grenade they were looking at, but the silver pin hanging from Dee's thumb, after slipping free from the grenade. All three of them screamed and dove for the grenade. Cuinn grabbed it and threw it inside is cap. Dee and Dum waited for an explosion, with hands on their ears that never came. Both slowly pulled their hands away before looking at Cuinn confused, who smiled back and waved his hat in the air. Both twins grabbed and searched the hat, but couldn't find anything. It was completely empty.

"How did you get rid of it?" they both asked, simultaneously.

Cuinn just put a finger to his lips smiling.

'_That was close,' _he thought. _'I almost ran out of time.'_ Cuinn wiped away the sweat that had formed on his brow. _'At least dad is going to get a surprise.'_

**~~X~~**

Black was running his rounds around the prison when he heard an explosion down one of the cellblocks.

"What the F*** was that?" Black ran down the cellblock, where he heard the noise. He stopped in front of one of many; still empty cells that were left after his cleaning spree last week. The cell walls were charred black as if something exploded inside. Black stood there, letting thoughts run through his mind when a certain thought hit him. He ran down the cellblocks, not stopping until he came to a stop in front of Cuinn's room.

"Cuinn, you better be in there!" Black shouted as he opened the door. The room was empty with no sight of Cuinn. He did notice a note lying on the coffee table. Black picked it up and saw that it was from White. After reading it, he crumpled it in his hand while shouting at the top of his lungs. "White! You stupid B******!"

**~~X~~**

Cuinn was sitting on the couch between the twins, laughing with them while balancing a stack of three daggers on the tip of his finger.

"Wow. That's cool," commented Dum.

"Thanks," replied Cuinn. He was enjoying his time with the twins. Suddenly Cuinn remembered his meeting with Blood and Alice. He jumped to his feet dropping the daggers. "I forgot about Alice," he exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" asked Dee.

"I was suppose to meet her Blood's office. Can either of you take me there?"

The twins looked at each other nervously.

"Don't tell me you're still worried about Alice," Cuinn exclaimed. "What do I have to do to prove it to you guys?"

"Can you?" they both asked.

"Fine." Cuinn sighed and shook his head. He cupped his chin and thought about some ideas he could use. Suddenly he started smiling like a lunatic. "I have an idea, but we're going to need a servant to deliver a message for us.

**~~X~~**

Alice was very nervous. It wasn't about Cuinn not showing up, but what would happen when he showed up. Blood sat as his desk doing his best to ignore her. He was not in a good mood. Blood made it perfectly clear that I did not like the idea of having anyone from the circus in his territory. It seems that his hatred for the Jokers doesn't stop at them, but spreads to anyone who works with them as well. Elliot tried to ignore the tense atmosphere in the room by looking over some paperwork, he was carrying. The silence was broken by knocking at the door. Elliot moved to answer it, but Alice stopped him.

"Don't worry, I'll get it." When she answered the door, she was expecting to see Cuinn, but surprised to see that it was a faceless servant instead.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, but the Gatekeepers wanted me to tell you that they will be hanging a weapon chandelier in their room." The faceless then turned and walked off leaving the three, dumbfounded.

"Did he just say a weapon chandelier?" asked Elliot.

"He did, but why-" Alice was cut off by a loud crash and screams.

"That sounded like the twins." Blood said.

"And Cuinn." Alice took off running, soon followed closely by Blood and Elliot. Alice burst through the door to the twin's room. She froze in her tracks at the sight. The chandelier that they must have been hanging fell and smashed through the table below it. On it were knifes, daggers and hatchets of many different kinds placed along the branches. Many though were missing. The missing pieces lay either scattered on the floor or lodged in the furniture and wall at various place along the room.

Slumped against the wall was Cuinn with a bloody hatchet lodged in his chest. Across from him, near the chandelier were the twins lying face down in a pool of blood. Dum's head was turned so he looking at the door, giving Alice a clear view at his lifeless eyes.

"Oh my god," She murmured with her hands covering her mouth. She heard a curse from behind her as Elliot and Blood stepped into the room. Elliot's face was one of complete bewilderment as he took in the sight in the room. Blood on the other hand was expressionless. He gave no clue as to what he was thinking.

"They can't be dead," muttered Elliot absentmindedly. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh on them all this time." He continued to mutter other stuff while becoming obvious to everyone else.

Alice though wasn't paying attention. She knelt next the bodies of Dee and Dum.

"How could this happen? Something like this should never happen, especially not to Dee and Dum."

"I thought that you were upset with them for harassing your circus friend," Blood commented cruelly.

"I was," Alice replied. She was on the verge of tears. "Just because I was upset with them doesn't mean I hated them. I care about them. I don't hate them, I was just mad. What's going to happen-" Alice never got a chance to finish that sentence as she was suddenly tackled to the ground by a red and blue blur.

"We love you too, onee-chan!"

Elliot and Blood looked in shock at the two supposedly dead twins that were now hugging Alice, while giggling like maniacs. A third giggle joined in and everyone, except for the twins, turned to see a smiling Cuinn holding the bloody hatchet that supposedly killed him, in his hand. The end was flat and had and a thin red sticker surrounding it that looked like blood.

"What is going on here?" Elliot demanded.

"It was a prank," replied Cuinn.

"What!" exclaimed Alice and Elliot simultaneously.

"What hell are you brats thinking?" Elliot yelled. "Are you trying to freak us all out? It's bad enough that we have to deal with your slacking, but this. What kind of prank is this?"

"Shut up newbie-rabbit," said Dum, while he and his brother removed the contact lenses that gave their eyes a lifeless look.

"Yeah. Besides we saw how you were about to cry over us," Dee said smugly, which caused Elliot to blush slightly from embarrassment.

"I-I wasn't going to cry over you. I was going to cry tears of happiness. I was glad that you two were going to be replaced. We might get a pair of competent, gatekeepers."

Elliot and the twins continued to argue and throw insults back and forth while Cuinn watched with a smile on his face. His smile disappeared though when he saw Alice glaring at him. Without a word, she got up and stormed out of the room. Blood smirked at Cuinn, but he didn't notice. Cuinn bolted from the room going after Alice. Elliot and the twins did not notice and continued arguing.

Cuinn caught up to Alice in the hallway, calling after her. Alice stopped and was about to turn around and scold him, when he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"I'm sorry Alice. I'm sorry," Cuinn cried. He clutched onto her dress tighter. "I didn't mean to make you so upset. Please don't hate me Alice, please don't."

Alice sighed. She couldn't be mad at Cuinn, not when he sounded so close to crying.

"Cuinn, why did you do that?"

Cuinn let go of Alice and took a step back. He hung his head low with his arms behind his back and his foot rubbing the ground. He wore all the signs of a guilty child.

Alice crossed her arms while she waited for him to explain. "Well?"

"It was to help the twins. They were very upset after you yelled at them in front of the gate. It was mainly my fault so I had to help them."

"Wait, what do you mean it was your fault?" Alice asked.

"I sort of lied about the twins hurting me," Cuinn confessed, uncomfortably. "They threaten me, but that was it. The rest about be hurt by them, I made up."

Alice looked at Cuinn shocked. "Cuinn, that's a horrible thing you did."

Cuinn winced. "I know. It's just that I didn't want them to try and hurt me if I ran into again, but now things got a little out of hand."

Alice put a hand to forehead. "What am I going to do with you?"

Cuinn didn't answer. He stood there unable to meet her eyes. He was surprised when Alice got down and pulled him into a hug.

"Just promise me, you won't do something so scary again. I was so worried that I lost you three."

"I promise."

"Good. Now let's go back to the others and clear up the rest of this mess."

Cuinn nodded. He clutched onto Alice's dress while leaning on her. A thought entered Cuinn's mind that caused him to shiver.

'_Why did I think I would be a great idea to pretend to kill ourselves,' _Cuinn thought. He pushed the thought to back of his mind. _'Nothing good comes from looking at the past.' _He felt a small ach in his chest and head, but decided to ignore it. Cuinn just wanted to focus on what he and Alice were going to do next.

* * *

**AN: How often do you read about someone setting the twins up for disaster. I think I'm the first to do it (could be wrong). I don't think Alice has ever yelled at the twins for anything. Scold them, yes, but they would just brush that off, like they do to Elliot's scolding. To me, they seem like the type to over react if Alice did yell at them for the first time, while being angry like a demon. I hope they weren't too OOC. By the way just something to remember for later in the story. The Twins are insane and influential, so if you don't understand the end, you will later when Cuinn's "illness" is explained and for any who have notice (and I know at least a few must have) Cuinn is latching on to Alice, that will also be explained later along with the near crying at end. **

**Cuinn: Hey, don't spoil anything. **

**Important note: School just started. Don't know how that will affect my updates, so from now on expect irregular updates, but I promise I will not stop or cancel any of my stories. By the way, looking glass will be updated, very soon for anyone who is also reading that story.**

**Cuinn: I do hope you enjoyed reading, so leave us a review. Pretty please?**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry about the very late update. I wanted to update this and post the new sides storie about Cuinn's past, but it seems that it will take a little longer (about two days or so). I also joined NaNo which has slowed my writing as I worked on a story for that.**

**Cuinn: You're spreading yourself to thin.**

**SDW: Quiet. So you will have to wait a few more days for the stories of Cuinn's past, but for now I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Suppressed pain.**

Alice sipped her cup of tea trying to ignore the tense atmosphere around her. Alice and the Hatter's residents are having tea in one of courtyards beside the hatter's mansion. After Alice and Cuinn went back and explained everything to the others, Blood asked them to join them for a tea party. Even though Blood acted calm and said, everything was fine, Alice still felt that he was very upset. Blood's cold and stoic manner makes him a very difficult person to read. Even now as he sat in his chair, calmly sipping his tea, it is impossible to guess what is going through his mind.

There was one thing that Alice was sure about and it was that Blood detested Cuinn's presence. Alice glanced at Cuinn who was sitting on her left with the Twins. She watched as they laughed at jokes and riddles Cuinn told him. It was impossible to understand how anyone could hate some one like Cuinn. He was just so sweet and kind.

When everyone walked into the courtyard for tea, the first thing Cuinn did was pull out a chair for Alice. He even poured her a cup of tea. When she asked why he did it all, he responded saying that it was what a gentleman was suppose to do. Alice even blushed when Cuinn also added how it was something that a nice woman like Alice deserved.

"Onee-san?"

Alice was pulled from her thoughts as she heard someone call her name.

"Alice, are you ok?" Cuinn asked.

"I'm sorry," Alice responded, smiling. "I was distracted. What did you say?"

"The twins are saying that they want to take me to the amusement park with them to meet their friend Boris." Cuinn explained. "Do you think we can go?"

"We would have to change the seasons to do so and I think White would be upset if we tried to do it again after changing it."

"Oh, right. I forgot that we didn't tell you that the game was a high stakes game."

"High stakes?" Alice asked confused.

"I'm not surprise that White did not tell you about the high stakes games. He avoids them when he can." Cuinn explain. The Twins listened in intently while drinking their tea. "High stake games are just what their name implies, but the major difference is what the cost of losing is."

"What happens if I lose?" Alice asked, though she was afraid of what it could be.

"For one, White has little control over what the cost is in a high stakes, so it can be anywhere from death to eternal imprisonment in the circus and everything in between. Just use your imagination to get an idea for what else could be a punishment for losing."

Alice gulped, before asking what she gets if she wins.

"If you win, pretty much whatever you want. For the game we just played your prize is that all the seasons are changed, so you can go anywhere you want for a limited time."

"But I lost to you, so I shouldn't get anything." Alice stated.

"But I beat White so therefore you also won. Think of it sort like Black Jack. The goal of everyone playing is to beat each other, but the common goal is to beat the dealer so he doesn't win. If one player wins then that means that all players have beaten the dealer, but the players have still lost to their own winning player."

"So by that logic," Elliot said entering the conversation, "even though Alice lost, by you beating White she also won though you got the grand prize."

"Pretty much."

"Wait so what would have happened if I lost that game and how does White know what the punishment is during the times he can't chose it?" Alice asked.

"The first card he draws states the punishment on it, but since we decided to make it a high stakes near the end of the game, it was the last card in the deck. White didn't show me the card but told me that it said special slave on it. Do you have any idea what that could be?" Cuinn asked innocently.

Alice put her hand on her chin as she thought. The more she thought about it, the more she began to realize just what the punishment would be.

"I-I have not idea what it could mean," Alice said stuttering, while her face was beet red.

Cuinn cocked his head to the side, as he looked at Alice confused. The Twins were snickering behind him, while Elliot had a small blush on his face and Blood was looking at Alice with an amuse expression.

"Well onee-san? Can we go to the amusement park?" Both twins asked simultaneously, saving Alice from her thoughts.

"Sure," Alice replied, happy to be distracted from her thoughts. "If we can travel to any territory then we should take advantage of it while we can."

"Hooray! We get another break," cried Dum.

"Maybe we can have some fun with Boris," Dee commented.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Elliot slammed his hands on table interrupting the Twins' small revelry. "You slackers ditch your duties enough as it is."

"We're not slacking," Dee said, sticking his tongue out at Elliot.

"We're taking a break, not slacking. We can take breaks when ever we want," Dum said before blowing a raspberry at Elliot.

"Break!" Elliot exclaimed. "You two are always on one of your so called breaks. You've taken enough breaks that you might as well not be working as our gatekeepers at all, and if that's the case then I'm sure you guys won't mind having your pay docked." Elliot smirked evilly at the Twins' shocked expressions.

"You can't do that," they cried simultaneously. "Right, boss?" Both looked at Blood expectantly, who didn't doing anything other than look at Elliot, over the teacup he was sipping. Both of their expressions fell as they hung their heads in defeat.

"Sorry, Cuinn. Looks like we can't go with you," they said simultaneously.

"Don't feel so sad. I'm sure that next time we can go together," Cuinn said smiling.

"The next time it is then," said Dum.

"So Alice, can we go to the Amusement park after tea?" Cuinn asked.

"Sure. It doesn't look as if the time of day will change anytime soon so I'm sure we'll be able to have some fun before it gets late." Alice replied.

Cuinn smiled at Alice before being dragged into a conversation with the Twins about what ride he should go on first at the park. While Alice watched Cuinn, she noticed that his hand was trembling, but after a few seconds, it stopped. She opened her mouth to ask about, but decided against it.

'_It must be nothing.'_

**~~X~~**

"Wow! This place looks amazing," Cuinn exclaimed happily, as he took in the sights of his very first amusement park.

Alice couldn't help, but giggle. To Alice it was the same old amusement park that never changes while for Cuinn it was stepping into a whole new world, and in one sense, it was.

"Oh, miss Alice! How wonderful it is to see you again." Alice turned around to see Gowlands two faceless attendants. No matter where in the park Alice was, these two always seemed to be around.

"Who is this little guy?" asked the female faceless as she squealed in delight. Before Cuinn could react, the attendant pulled Cuinn off his feet into a hug. "He's so cute."

Alice giggled as the attendant put Cuinn down. When Alice looked Cuinn, his face was a bright red and looking at the ground.

'_He's shy?' _Alice thought surprised. "This is Cuinn. He's from the circus."

"Well, that much is obvious," said the male faceless. "Anyone who wear's a Jester outfit is obviously from the circus."

"Have either of you seen Boris or Gowland?" Alice asked. "I think they would be the best ones to show Cuinn around the park."

"Show around the park?" Both faceless looked at Alice confused for a moment before they understood what was going on. They both gasped in surprise. "You don't mean that the young man has never been to our amusement park."

"It's true," Cuinn said interjectory. "I've never been to an amusement park before."

Both attendants let out twin gasps of shock.

"You poor thing," the female faceless cried as pull Cuinn into a hug, causing him to blush heavily.

"Boris just passed by Miss. You can catch up to him if you hurry. He went that way," the male faceless said before pointing to a large crowd of people.

"Thanks. Come on Cuinn." Alice pulled Cuinn way from the female faceless who was reluctant to him let go.

Alice and Cuinn had been searching for the park's cat for the last ten minutes, but could not spot any trace of him. It was even more difficult for Cuinn whose view consisted of a sea of legs most of the time because of his lack of height. Cuinn had to constantly hold on to Alice's hand to avoid being swallowed by the crowd. When that was not possible, he clung onto her dress. Finally, they got a break and the crowd around them thinned out to just a couple park goers.

"That's better. Now, where is Boris," Alice asked aloud.

"Right here, Alice!" someone said behind them.

Alice and Cuinn jumped in fright.

Cuinn turned around to see a young man, around Alice's age perhaps, dressed in punk fashion. His outfit surprised Cuinn. He wore a black tank top that exposed his pierced bellybutton and a skort, at least that's what Cuinn decided to call it. It was a pair of black shorts with a black skirt on top. His hair was a magenta color and he had long bangs that covered his left eye. His right eye was a gold color with three triangle tattoos under it. He had a large pink boa wrapped around his shoulders and a red collar with a gold chain leash that was hooked on his waist. The most distinguishing features on him, though, were a pair of pink cat ears and a pink tail, both of which were pierced.

'_So this is the amusement park's cat. He looks a lot different than I imagined.' _Cuinn thought.

"Don't do that Boris. You almost gave me a heart attack," Alice said, scolding Boris, who just smiled and snickered. He looked down and noticed Cuinn.

"Hey, you're that jester kid from the circus." Boris crouched in front of Cuinn on his haunches. "Think you can tell me how you pulled that vanishing act?" Boris asked with mischief dancing in his eye.

Instead of responding, Cuinn stood on his toes, grabbed Boris' ears, and began stroking them along their spine. Boris opened his mouth to say something, but no words would come out. His eyes became hooded and his body relaxed as he made a purring sound in his throat that sounded almost like a growl. Alice looked at the two with an amused grin on her face.

"Cuinn, what are you doing?" Alice asked, trying to suppress the laughter in her throat.

"I read in a book that some cats are extra sensitive on the spines of their ears, making them quite docile when you pet them," Cuinn replied, smiling. He stepped back from Boris and released his ears. A moment after Cuinn let go, Boris jumped to his feet shaking his head.

"Did you enjoy your petting?" Alice asked, teasingly. Boris' cheeks flushed a light pink from embarrassment.

"Can you not mention that to anyone," Boris asked as he rubbed his head, awkwardly.

Alice let out a giggle before nodding her head.

"I promise not to tell a soul, Mr. Cat," Cuinn chirped.

Boris looked at Cuinn, puzzled. "Mr. Cat?"

"Well, I don't now your name. I'm Cuinn by the way."

"Name's Boris." Boris snatched Cuinn's jester cap off the top of his head.

"Hey!"

"So, what brings you two here? I heard that you were looking for me," Boris said while tossing Cuinn's cap into the air.

"First, give Cuinn his hat back," Alice said.

"Fine." Boris tossed the cap back to Cuinn who gave Alice a thankful grin.

"Thanks. I was looking for you, because I wanted you to help me show Cuinn around the park. You know this place better than me."

"Wait, what do you mean show him around?" Boris looked at Cuinn. "Have you never been to the amusement park before?"

"Nope. This is my first time leaving the circus," Cuinn replied.

"Unbelievable," Boris muttered, shaking his head. "How can you stand being in one place your whole life? I'll go nuts."

"That's because you're a cat."

Boris opened his mouth to retort when he noticed a red head, individual walking through a crowd of people behind Cuinn.

"Look. There's Gowland," Boris pointed him out in the crowd. "Come on; let me introduce you to the old man. We can probably get a pass for you."

"Why would Cuinn need a pass?" Alice asked.

"He doesn't but I don't want to wait in lines and the only way to for us to skip them is if we all have passes." Boris disappeared into the crowd.

"We better hurry before we lose him," Alice said following Boris.

As soon as Cuinn took his first step, his vision went blurry. An ache opened up in his chest and head like a great chasm. He could hear his heart beating in his ears alongside a loud ticking. The ground seemed to tilt under him. Cuinn collapsed, that he was on all fours. His breathes were coming out in ragged gasps as his body trembled violently.

"Oh! Are you ok?"

Cuinn looked up into the worried face of the female attendant from before.

"He doesn't look good. Do you need us to take you to the infirmary?"

Cuinn didn't even see her counterpart approach. He took a moment to calm his breathing.

"I'm fine." His voice was a little strained. "This happens every now and then. I just have to wait for it to pass."

"You should still go to the infirmary. I'll go tell the Miss," the female faceless said.

"Please don't," Cuinn begged.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't want her to worry. Alice cares too much. There's nothing she can do to help so please don't tell her. It's a sickness that no one can do anything about."

"Are you sure?" the male faceless asked.

"Yes."

"Then at least let us take you to the infirmary. We'll make something up to tell the Miss." The attendants helped Cuinn to his feet, leading him toward the infirmary. As the crowd around them thickened, Cuinn slipped away. He ended up at the park's entrance. Cuinn walked outside and sat next to one of the trees near the entrance.

"I just need to rest," he said aloud to himself as he felt his trembling getting worst. He collapsed with his back on the tree. It took some effort, but Cuinn manage to force himself to fall asleep. Before slipping into the nightmares that awaited him, his last thoughts were _'Why must the past be so painful?'_

~~X~~

Boris was searching everywhere for Cuinn. When Alice saw that he had gotten lost in the crowd, she panicked. He couldn't understand why she was so worried about him, but he promised to help look so now he had to. As Boris passed the park's entrance, he noticed something colorful outside next to one of the trees.

'_I wonder what that is.' _Boris thought, curiously. _'I'm sure it won't hurt to see what it is.'_ Boris was surprised to find that the colorful object was Cuinn sleeping next to the tree. As Boris watched him, Cuinn would mutter unintelligibly now and then. An idea came to Boris and he smirked playfully. Boris squatted down next Cuinn and began rubbing his nose with his tail. Cuinn swatted it away.

'_Tch, so close.' _Boris continue rub his tail on Cuinn's face hoping to get him to slap himself awake. If he could only see through Cuinn's mask, he would see Cuinn open his eyes with a sleepy expression. Without warning Cuinn lunged forward and bit down.

**~~X~~**

Alice's feet were starting to hurt, but she couldn't stop to rest. She had to find Cuinn. She was startled by a high pitch yell.

'_That sounded like Boris. Did something happen?'_ Alice raced toward the direction of the yell. It wasn't long before she found Cuinn and Boris. They were in front of a concession stand. Boris was sitting on the ground tying a bandage on his tail with tears in his eye. As Alice approached, she heard Cuinn ask the strangest question she ever heard.

"Do you have anything that can wash out the taste of cat?"

Alice stopped dead in her tracks and blinked in surprise, making sure that she hadn't heard wrong.

"Um, Cuinn, Boris, what's going on?" Alice asked as she approached them. Cuinn chugged the glass he was handed by the faceless behind the counter before answering.

"Nothing important."

"Nothing important! My tail was maimed!" Boris cried woefully.

"How?" Alice asked.

"He bit it." Boris pointed at Cuinn.

"Cuinn, why did you bite his tail?"

"Not my fault. I fell asleep and when I woke up I saw this purple thing waving in front of me and I just had to bite it. Besides, it was not my fault. He kept tickling my nose while I was asleep. He was playing that trick where you get a person to slap themselves awake on me."

"Boris is it that true?" Alice growled, turning her attention to the pink feline. Boris winced, knowing he was found out.

"Ahhh, I may have tried something along those lines."

"Boris!"

Boris hung his head. "Yeah, it's true," he answered.

Alice let out a sigh. "Well at least you learned a lesson from this." Alice said referring to his tail.

"You really should wash that tail of yours. It tasted horrible," Cuinn, commented.

"What!" Boris cried indignantly. "I keep my tail clean. You just have bad taste buds."

"Please, the tiger cubs at the circus taste much cleaner," Cuinn, blurted out. He covered his mouth, as his face grew red in embarrassment. Boris smirked and leaned closer to him.

"And why would you know that?"

"Why do you know what a tiger's fur taste like?" Alice asked.

"I ah…I lost a bet a few years ago," Cuinn said hiding his face. Cuinn was saved from enduring further embarrassment when they heard someone calling out to them. Approaching the three of them was the Gowland with his violin slung over his shoulder.

"Well Alice, it seems you found your friend." Gowland turn his attention to Cuinn. "Your that the kid from the circus. That was an amazing act, if I do say so myself."

"Oh, you must be the park owner Mr. Mary Gowland," Cuinn said, not realizing the effect it would have on Gowland. Gowland slowly turned to look at Boris who was still sitting on the ground.

"Boris?" he asked threateningly.

"Hey don't look at me. I haven't told him yet."

"Blood told me before I left the mansion with Alice," Cuinn explained. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's nothing, young man, though I swear that the next time I see Blood, I'll kill him." Gowland was gritting his teeth in rage.

"Why?" Cuinn asked, confused even further.

"Gowland doesn't like first name. He hates it when people call him by it," Alice explained.

"And what is so bad about your name?" Cuinn asked Gowland with his hands on his hips. Gowland was taken aback by Cuinn's change in attitude. "I think your name is wonderful. It makes it sound as if you're a happy go-lucky person, which you are, and more importantly, who can go around boasting that they have the same name as one of the more classic and enjoyable amusement park rides."

A smile broke on Gowland's face. "You know, I think I like you. I never did get your name."

"It's Cuinn."

"Well Cuinn, this is for you." Gowland handed Cuinn a platinum pass. "Alice and Boris told me about your predicament. This is a platinum pass, it will allow you to go on any ride and skip all the lines."

"Thank you so much Mr. Gowland," Cuinn cried, surprising Gowland with a hug.

"Gowland will do. Now why don't the three of you go off and have some fun."

"Count me out," Boris said as he massaged his tail.

Gowland noticing Boris' tail for the first time raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What happen to your tail?"

Before Boris could reply, Cuinn spoke up. "He tripped and steeped on his own tail," Cuinn said cheerily. "He's a clumsily kitty isn't he."

Gowland burst out in laughter. "Really Boris, harming your own tail."

"He's lying!" cried Boris.

Cuinn grabbed Alice's hand and dragged her away from the scene. "Let's go try some of rides." As Cuinn lead Alice away, he suddenly stopped turned around and shouted to Boris, "I almost forgot to ask, do you like to wear women's clothing? I was wondering because of the skirt. I'm not judging or anything, just curious. You can tell me when I get back."

Boris looked at Cuinn dumbstruck, while Gowland broke into a new round laugher. When Boris finally found his voice, he cried "Its part of the style!" but Cuinn and Alice had already gone out of earshot.

"That was a little mean," Alice commented.

"It's better than the other question I was going to ask," Cuinn replied.

"And what was your other question?"

"If he was a masochist and into S&M, considering the chained collar he was wearing."

Alice couldn't help but flush a bit from the thought and decided to redirect the conversation. "So what ride do you want to go on first?"

Cuinn smiled mischievously and Alice already knew what he was going to say. "I want to go on the merry-go-round."

**~~X~~**

Cuinn let out a tried yawn.

"Tired?" Alice asked doing likewise.

"A little."

Alice looked up at the sky. It had just turned to late evening. "I think I should get you back."

"You stay at the Clock Tower, right?" Cuinn asked. Alice nodded. "Can you take me with you?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. White will probably get upset and anyways, by it will probably be night by the time I get us to the tower."

"Then, by that logic, it will be night by the time you get me to the circus. So can you take me? Pretty please." Cuinn clutched onto her dress, stood on his toes, and cocked his head to the side as stared up at Alice. Cuinn was managing to pull off the puppy dog look without using his eyes, which he still kept hidden behind his mask and made Alice unaware that he had any.

Alice knew he had her. _'He just has to act sweet and it's impossible to say no,'_ Alice thought. "Alright then. How would you like to meet the residents of the Clock Tower?"

* * *

**Cuinn: Please leave us a review.**

**SDW: Please do. Next location is the Clock Tower. What could possibly happen? For those wondering what that incident was that happened to Cuinn, you will have to wait a few more chapters. It carries a great meaning.**

**Cuinn: Till next time. Bye**


	10. Chapter 10

**3/7/13 AN: Sorry for anyone who was expecting a new chapter. I was editing some of the chapters and accidently posted one as a new chapter. Word of advice: don't work while under drowsy cold medicine. I am busy with looking glass so this may not update for a bit. I'll try to toss a short chapter in a few days to give you something but for now don't expect too much here yet.**

**AN: After a long time I finally update again and I give you a special double update so this and the story _Joker's Sacrifice: Cuinn's Past_ has also been updated. I blame school and finals and projects for the long delay. For my guest reviewers who love how cute this story is, it gets cuter, for now. **

**Cuinn: I do hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Clock Tower Teddy Bear**

It was just as Cuinn said. By the time Alice and Cuinn were near the Clock Tower, the sky turned to night.

'_I hope Cuinn's right about White not getting mad,'_ Alice thought.

"Wow! The tower is huge…and cold," Cuinn commented while watching his breath freeze in the chilly night air.

"Sorry. I should have warned you. It's winter here at the Clock Tower. Don't worry it'll be warmer inside." Alice pulled Cuinn along behind her. Cuinn has been holding her hand since they left the amusement park, but the feeling was different, compared to last time he did. This time it felt, as Cuinn was afraid to let go.

'_Maybe he's just scared of getting lost again,' _Alice thought. She couldn't blame him considering what happened last time. Both felt the change in temperature as they stepped inside the tower. It was still cold but at a tolerable level than outside. Alice led Cuinn up multiply flights of stairs and through a couple hallways until she arrived at a certain wooden door. The crackle of a live fire could be heard behind it.

"Julius, I'm back," Alice said, pushing open the door.

Julius was inside at his desk working on one of the many clocks that were sent to him. He acknowledged Alice with a simple nod before returning his attention to his work.

"Julius, this is Cuinn," Alice introduced. Cuinn smiled at Julius who narrowed his eyes and glared in return. Cuinn flinched under his gaze and hid behind Alice, clutching her dress.

"Julius, stop that. You're scaring him," Alice scolded.

"Alice, why are you spending time with one of the circus performers, especially after what happened last time. There is also the fact that he seems to be close to the Jokers," Julius said.

"Don't worry Julius. He's harmless. You don't have to worry about a thing." When Alice turned around, Cuinn was no longer behind her. He was standing in front of the hearth, holding his hands to the flames.

"I still don't think he should be around you," Julius said skeptically.

"Oh, Alice! You're back."

Alice turned to see Gray standing in the doorway holding a tray with a steaming mug.

"Hello Gray," Alice greeted. "What do you have there?"

"Hot cocoa for Julius," Gray replied, setting the mug on Julius' desk. Julius nodded his thanks before resuming his work. "Who's your friend?" Gray asked referring to Cuinn who was now sitting on the couch basking in the warmth of the hearth.

"Oh, this little guy is Cuinn. Cuinn this is Gray."

"Hello!" Cuinn said sweetly, waving at Gray.

"Hello Cuinn. It's a pleasure to meet you. You're the one from the circus act last week, right?"

"Yep!"

"Interesting." Gray gave Cuinn an analyzing look. He could tell that Cuinn was hiding something, but he couldn't tell what it is. Maybe it had something to do with his mask.

Alice noticing Gray's look, felt worried that he might scare Cuinn and decided to redirect his attention.

"So Gray… has Nightmare been causing you any more trouble lately?"

Cuinn, seeing that Alice was drawing Gray's attention away from him, relaxed. He closed his eyes and continued to bask in the hearth's heat. It felt peaceful. The only sounds were the conversation between Alice and Gray and the faint tinkering from Julius' work. The peaceful atmosphere was settling around Cuinn, slowly drifting him to sleep.

"Wow, it's packed in here," a cheery voice called out. Cuinn opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar man in the room. He wore a brown cloak covering his clothes. Cuinn's eyes were drawn to the mask he was wearing that was much like his own.

"Hi Ace. How are you?" greeted Alice.

"Great as always," Ace replied while setting a brown sack on Julius' desk. He removed his mask revealing chestnut colored eyes. "Who's this?" Ace asked, noticing Cuinn for the first time.

"That's Cuinn," Alice answered.

"You're the one from the circus. It's great to finally meet you."

Cuinn nodded in greeting. Suddenly he became aware of a sound that chilled his bones. Above all the other noise, Cuinn could still hear it, a horrid dripping sound. Cuinn had missed it at first because he was drawn to Ace's mask, but now it was so obvious that Cuinn couldn't understand how he missed it. Ace's outfit was soaked in blood.

It was so sickeningly familiar, that dripping sound. The crimson color was burned into Cuinn's eyes. He could feel a heavy weight on his chest making it difficult to breathe. There was something pressing against his skull, a memory, an image. Cuinn kept turning his mind away from it not wanting to see. He wanted to get up and run but he felt as if his body was frozen in place.

"Cuinn? Cuinn?"

Cuinn slowly became aware of the fact that someone was shaking him. He blinked and found himself staring at Alice's concerned face.

"Cuinn, are you alright? What's the matter?"

Cuinn barely managed to croak out a word. "B-blood."

Alice looked at Ace's cloak. She had become so accustom to its bloody state that it no longer affected her; she simply ignored it. She had no idea that it would have such a severe affect on Cuinn.

Gray, who noticed Cuinn's distress and now knew what was causing it, grabbed Ace by the arm and pulled him to the door.

"Ace, come with me for sec. I need your help with something," Gray said.

"Oh, but you never asked me for help before," Ace replied in his usual cheery manner.

"Just come on." Gray pulled Ace out the door ignoring his protests.

Alice gave Gray a grateful smile as he left before returning her attention to Cuinn who was still trembling. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. Thanks Alice," Cuinn replied, giving Alice a weak smile.

"You should get some rest. Julius is it okay if Cuinn spends the night?"

Julius nodded begrudgingly, not taking his attention away from his work.

"Thanks Julius." Alice led Cuinn by the hand down the corridors.

~~X~~

"Alice, which room is yours?" Cuinn asked innocently, staring at the identical looking doors they were passing.

"That would be…this one," Alice said opening one of the doors. Cuinn's eyes lit up behind his mask as soon as he saw the stacks of books in Alice's room.

"You have so many books!" Cuinn exclaimed running into her room. He shuffled through the books, reading the covers aloud to himself.

Alice looked at Cuinn a bit surprised before closing the door behind her. She sat down next to Cuinn as he shifted through the books.

"Where'd you get all these books?" Cuinn asked, shifting his attention to Alice.

"A few belong to Julius, some I am borrowing from the Hatters and the rest I bought myself," Alice answered. "I take it you like books."

"I love them!" Cuinn exclaimed enthusiastically.

Alice couldn't help but giggle. "Do you want to read one?"

"Can I?" Cuinn asked, clutching a book to his chest.

It took a moment for Alice to reply. She can't understand how Cuinn manages to pull such a cute puppy look without eyes, but she knew that if he did have eyes, she would pick him over the puppy any day.

"Sure, I don't mind." Alice glanced at the night sky through the window. _'I should get ready for bed,'_ Alice thought, releasing a silent yawn. She grabbed her nightgown from her closet and disappeared into the bathroom.

Meanwhile Cuinn move on top of Alice's bed, reading a book about a heroic knight fighting mighty dragons. With each line he read, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

'_One more page,'_ he thought.

~~X~~

When Alice came out of the bathroom in her pink nightgown, she was surprised to see Cuinn laid out on her bed, fast asleep with the book on his chest.

'_He looks so cute,'_ Alice thought. _'It won't hurt to have him here for the night.'_ Alice removed his shoes, hat and the book on his chest. She was about to remove his mask as well, but thought better of it. The mask seem important to Cuinn so she didn't feel comfortable touching it without his permission.

Alice turned off the lights and crawled into bed next to Cuinn. The only light came in through the window from the moon. Without disturbing Cuinn, Alice wrapped the blanket around them both. As soon as she laid down next to Cuinn, he latched on to her in his sleep. She considered prying him off, but decided that she didn't want to risk waking him. Before she knew it, she was hugging Cuinn as well.

'_He looks so peaceful,'_ Alice thought sleepily as she stared at his face. She unconsciously started to rub the back of his head. As she rubbed his head, she noticed a faint ridge on the back of his skull with her fingers. Her last thoughts before succumbing to sleep where, _'How does some one like him get a scar?'_

~~X~~

"Alice, wake up it's morning."

Alice heard a voice prying into her dreams. It took her a moment to recognize it as Gray's.

"I don't want to wake up yet," whined Alice not opening her eyes. Right now she was hugging the most comfortable teddy bear in the world.

"I think it would be best if you did," Gray said.

"I can't. I holding the most cuddliest teddy bear in world." Alice proceed to give the bear a squeeze. She was surprised when she heard a squeak come from it.

"That's not a bear."

"Why does everyone say that," whined a small voice.

Alice opened her eyes and was surprised to realize that the teddy bear she was holding was actually a red faced Cuinn. She slowly released him, her face also slightly red from embarrassment.

"I'll leave you two alone," Gray said. He set a tray of food on the nightstand before leaving.

"Um, did you sleep well?" Alice asked, unsure of what else to say.

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me sleep here," Cuinn replied. He touched the mask on his face. "You didn't remove my mask. Thank you for not doing that."

"Is it important to you?"

"Yeah. I know it sounds silly, but when I wear this mask I feel like I have eyes, that I'm not another clock to be replaced at whim."

"That's not silly at all," Alice said, hugging Cuinn. "I just wish that more people thought like you do."

"Thanks Alice. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"Am, am I really that cuddly?"

The pure innocence that Cuinn asked that question with, made Alice want to be a little mischievous. "The cuddliest," Alice replied, tickling Cuinn. He burst in laughter, squirming, trying to get free from her grip.

"Stop! I'm ticklish."

"Really? I should test that." Alice increased the intensity of her onslaught. Cuinn surprised Alice when he suddenly hugged her, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"You're so kind Alice. Thanks for being that way."

Alice felt touched by his words and hugged him back. After a moment of holding each other in peaceful silence, Cuinn pulled away.

"Hey Alice, what territory are we going to visit next?" Cuinn asked.

"I was thinking that after we eat breakfast, that we could go and visit White to let him know you are alright."

"Do we have too," Cuinn whined.

"Don't worry, it's not like something bad is going to happen."

"Then why do I have a bad feeling about it."

"You're just being a little paranoid."

"So you say."

* * *

**AN: Another chapter done.**

**Cuinn: Please review and read the other story about me.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Just a warning, this is a sad chapter. There is a reason why this story is categorized as a tragedy.**

**Cuinn: Please leave us a friendly review when you're done.**

* * *

**Ch 11: Peace before Turmoil. Turmoil before Peace.**

"Looks like it will be a warm day today," Alice commented in a low voice. Currently being cradled in her arms was a sleeping Cuinn. She loved his small stature. It was one of the traits that made him so adorable. "Cuinn, wake up. We'll be at the circus soon."

"Just five more minutes. Please Alice?" Cuinn asked in a sleepy voice.

"Alright, five more minutes but that's it," Alice replied softly.

"Thanks…Gray's cooking is very bad," Cuinn muttered as he fell back asleep.

Alice chuckled. "Sorry. I should have warned you sooner." Back at the tower, Cuinn had jumped on one of the plates of food that Gray brought before Alice could warn him not to. He turned a pale shade of green after his first bite. Luckily Gray left some ingredients behind in the kitchen, enough to make Cuinn and herself a proper breakfast. She even made a plate for Julius. Hopefully he stopped working long enough to finish it.

While she was cooking, she made a little too much, but Cuinn was more than happy to eat a second and third helping. Alice did learn one thing from that experience and that was that a full belly made Cuinn sleepy. That's what eventually lead to her having to carry him out of the clock tower so he could nap in her arms.

She was glad that she chose to carry Cuinn. He looked so cute with that peaceful expression on his face as he slept. She brushed a lock of hair out of his face before running a finger over his mask, tracing the outline. It felt as if it were made of clay. Alice wished that he would remove his mask so she could see if face at least once. She knows that the faceless don't have eyes, but it doesn't mean they all look the same. Each faceless she met had subtle differences in their faces that she was able to notice. The only reason the role holders didn't see was because they chose not to.

Alice looked up from Cuinn's face and noticed that there were signs and doors attached to the surrounding trees. They were in Joker Forest.

"Cuinn, you have to wake up now. We're in Joker's Forest." Alice gently shook Cuinn awake. He let out a cute yawn and stretched his arms above his head. Alice set him down on his feet. Cuinn grabbed onto Alice's hand, leaning into her.

"You're a good cook, Alice," Cuinn stated.

"So you've told me for the hundredth-and-one time," Alice said with a slight giggle.

"Hundredth-and-second," Cuinn replied. Both let out a short stream of giggles.

Alice tugged Cuinn along deeper into the forest. She liked the feeling of Cuinn's small hand in hers. It was something new. It remind her of times with her kid sister Edith, when they would play together.

Alice was pulled from her thoughts as she heard the familiar sounds of the circus in the distance. She felt something tugging on her arm and looked to see that Cuinn had slowed his pace.

"Do we have to check in with them? I'm sure it'll be find to come back after visiting the castle," Cuinn pleaded.

"Don't worry. It'll be quick. I promise." Alice shook her head. _'He's acting like they're going to lock him up and won't let him out ever again.'_

As they neared the tent Alice was able to make out White's voice from somewhere inside. He just so happened to be standing next to the entrance the two came through, shouting orders at the various performers running about.

"Oh, Alice! I wasn't expecting to see you today. What a surprise this is." White greeted the two with his trademark smile.

"Hello White. I just wanted to stop by and check in with you to let you know that everything was all right."

"How kind of you. You didn't really have too," White said. Cuinn mutter something that sounded like "told you" to Alice. "I greatly appreciate it. I take it that Cuinn has been behaving himself and hasn't been causing you any trouble." White turned his attention to Cuinn who was trying to discreetly pull Alice in the direction of the exit.

"Don't worry. He's been no problem what so ever."

"That's good to hear."

Cuinn released Alice's hand and sighed. "I was afraid of this."

"Afraid of what?" Alice asked. She then noticed that Black had appeared behind White and was walking towards them. "Oh, hello Black. How are…you?" Alice's voice trailed off as she noticed the scowl on his face.

Black ignored Alice and White and snatched Cuinn out the ground before disappearing into the prison.

"Wait! Black, what are you doing?" Alice cried.

White sighed. "Well I'm sorry Alice, but it seems that you're going to have to come back tomorrow for Cuinn." White said before walking away and disappearing into a crowd of passing performers.

"What was that all about?" Alice asked herself. "Maybe I shouldn't have brought Cuinn to the circus after all." Alice sighed in defeat and left, knowing that there was probably nothing that she could do, but wait for tomorrow. _'I hope Black doesn't hurt Cuinn.'_

**~~X~~**

Black carried Cuinn to the living quarters wing of the prison before setting him down on his feet. Cuinn braced himself for the scolding he knew that he was going to receive.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Black growled.

"I wanted to see the other territories," Cuinn mutter sheepishly, refusing to meet his gaze.

"By running off with Alice, even though we told you to wait and be patient so we could make sure that nothing would happen to you at the other territories. Are you stupid! What would have happened if someone discovered who you really are. What were you thinking!?" Black shouted.

"It felt so lonely here in prison and I got bored," Cuinn explained sadly. "I can't even play at the circus cause everyone there are different from the old troop. I thought that if I left with Alice then I wouldn't have to worry because Alice wouldn't let anything happen to me." Cuinn hugged himself as he began to tremble slightly, but not from the cold or Black.

"It gets so cold here. White has to keep up appearances at the circus and you have to run more shifts in the prison because of how bad it is compared to before." Cuinn didn't mention that it because Black had been neglecting some of his duties the last couple years, out of spite toward the game. "I feel so alone. It's as if we are unable to be a-"

Black put his finger on Cuinn's mouth cutting him off. He crouched and pulled Cuinn into a hugged. After a moment Cuinn warped his small arms around him, returning it.

"Don't ever try to say that. We're still here for you. We just don't want to lose you too. We've lost too much as it is."

After a long moment of time, the two separated.

"Can I go back and see Alice?" Cuinn asked.

Black smirked. "Of course not. Considering the stunt you pulled, you get to spend the rest of the day here."

"Can I at least join you on your rounds around the prison?" Cuinn asked.

"Fine. You can join me." Cuinn grabbed a hold of Black's hand as he led him through the prison.

**~~X~~**

Cuinn was sitting on his bed, dressed in his pajamas. Across from him, slung over a chair was the jester outfit that he had been wearing the pass couple days. Next to it was the mask that he had been wearing. He let out a sad sigh. How he longed for the days when he didn't have to hide who he was in his own home. He let out another sigh and laid down on his bed. It felt to big for him, filled with too much empty space. Just like his heart.

Cuinn clutched a pillow to his chest and buried his face in it as a dam broke inside of him and he began to cry. His body was racked with uncontrollable sobs as his blood tears stained a red mark on the pillow casing. He missed his mother and sister. He wanted them back. He wanted his old life back with all his friends.

Every time he closed his eyes, he would see the lifeless hand of his mother hanging from the prison of thorns that was now her tomb. When he tried to close his hands, he could feel his sister's throat between them; the one he unconsciously and unwilling strangled. He was trapped in a downward spiral of sorrow that was surrounded and filled with grief and guilt. He wanted to run from it all and hide, but he couldn't. He kept it bottled up for to long and now it was uncontrollably pouring out. A pair of comforting arms wrapped around him and pulled him toward a warm body.

"If you keep bottling it up like this, it will tear you apart every time," murmured Black as he stroked his hair gently in an effort to calm him down.

Cuinn looked up at Black, his eyes filled with pain and grief. "It's my fault that they're dead, isn't it." Cuinn's voice was so filled pain that it sounded like someone else's.

Black grimace. He was staring at Cuinn's black eye. The gold of eye was surround by a black abyss that guaranteed nothing but destruction and despair. How Black wished he could destroy it. A black mark on his son's innocence. The same son who would run down these halls playing with his sister and friends or out in the circus learning new tricks. The same son who had never harmed anyone in his life. How he hated that black eye.

What he hated more was the fact that Cuinn was blaming himself for the death's of his wife and daughter. It felt as if something was squeezing his clock. He gripped Cuinn tighter.

"Don't ever say that you idiot. You are not to blame and never will be to blame." Black held Cuinn till he stopped crying and held him still, till he fell asleep. He tucked Cuinn into bed and grabbed the bloodstained pillow, knowing that it would have to be thrown out. Blood rarely washed out.

Black turned around to see White standing in the doorway. Looking at the pained expression on his face, Black knew that White had witnessed everything and that Cuinn's words had as much of an affect on him as it did himself.

"I can watch over him for the next couple hours. There's nothing to prepare for at the circus so I'm free for a few hours," White said not taking his eyes off Cuinn's sleeping form.

Black nodded as he passed him. "I'll try to finish my rounds early so I can take over when you leave." Black closed the door behind him as he left.

White pulled up a chair, quietly next to Cuinn's bed as he settled in for the next couple hours. As he watched Cuinn's sleeping form, a ghost of a smile passed his lips.

'_He looks so peaceful when he's asleep.'_

* * *

**AN: *Holding a crying Cuinn* Told you it was sad. Luckily this is as sad as it gets for a while. Leave a review. I'm sure it will cheer up Cuinn.**

**Cuinn: Please? *sniff***


End file.
